John Singleton

I am a street kid. Of course, there are many of us street kids, but each of us is different and has a unique story. Mine started in a broken home with an even more broken man. As I navigated the landscape of my childhood, I found solace in the permanence of two things: violence and movies. These were the only two constants in my life.
My father was a rough man, a Vietnam veteran who came back changed. He was never the same after the war. He was always angry, always fighting. He would take his anger out on my mother and me. We were always afraid of him.
One day, when I was 10 years old, my father came home drunk and started beating my mother. I tried to stop him, but he pushed me away. I fell and hit my head on the coffee table. When my father saw the blood, he ran. That was the last time I ever saw him.
After my father left, my mother and I moved into a small apartment in South Central Los Angeles. We were poor, but we were happy. My mother worked hard to give me a good life. She was always there for me, always supporting me.
I loved going to the movies with my mother. It was our special time together. We would escape from the violence and poverty of our everyday lives and enter a world of make-believe. I loved watching movies about strong characters who overcame adversity and won in the end. It gave me hope.
When I was 15 years old, I decided that I wanted to be a filmmaker. I wanted to tell the stories of people like me. People who were living in the shadows, who were invisible to the rest of the world.
I went to film school and worked my way up in the industry. I directed music videos and commercials before finally getting my first chance to direct a feature film. That film was Boyz n the Hood.
Boyz n the Hood was a critical and commercial success. It told the story of three young men growing up in South Central Los Angeles. It was a personal story, a story that I knew well.
I have directed many films since then, but Boyz n the Hood is still my favorite. It is the film that made me who I am today. It is the film that gave me a voice.
I am a street kid, but I am also a filmmaker. I am a voice for the voiceless. I am John Singleton.