John Singleton’s legacy is being upheld by those who knew him best. Many of the late filmmaker’s friends and former collaborators have agreed to serve as judges of a short film contest in Singleton’s honor.
Most notably, producer Paul Hall (Shaft), producer Stephanie Allen (Hustle and Flow), producer Preston Holmes (Little), and casting director Rob Reed (The Best Man) will be among the judges. Also set to participate in the contest are Bobbi Banks, Dawn Gilliam, Camile Tucker, Erika Conner, and Pat Prescott.
The John Singleton embRace LA Short Film Competition is being put on by the city of Los Angeles and Pan African Film Festival (PAFF). As the name alludes to, it’s being included as a part of L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson’s embRACE L.A. initiative.
Wesson recently released a statement about the upcoming festival. “Through the medium of film, we are encouraging young filmmakers to be a part of this conversation, just as many of John Singleton’s films were a conversation about race in South Los Angeles.”
John Singleton tragically passed away in April after suffering a stroke. The 51-year old director was responsible for films such as Boyz N the Hood, Shaft, and Poetic Justice.