RIP John Singleton, director, screenwriter, keeper of the culture.
From the Washington Post:
Mr. Singleton was the first African American and the youngest-ever Academy Award nominee for best director. He wrote the “Boyz N the Hood” screenplay, which was also an Oscar contender, as a student at the University of Southern California. In college, he had won scriptwriting prizes, which led to a three-picture deal with Columbia Pictures and $6.5 million to make “Boyz N the Hood.”
He was 22, had never made a movie before and insisted on directing the film. He proved persuasive in negotiations with studio executives….
Mr. Singleton never recaptured the early acclaim of “Boyz N the Hood” — which the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry placed on its list of culturally, historically or aesthetically significant films — but he said his filmmaking dreams had been fulfilled.