This African-American director won several awards as a film student at USC which in turn led to a contract with the powerful Creative Artists Agency. John Singleton's assured directorial debut "Boyz N the Hood" (1991) received major studio backing, a $6 million budget and a showcase at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. An urgent, powerful coming-of-age tale, the film found a spark of hope amid its bleak, violence-ridden South Central Los Angeles setting and became one of the top-grossing features ever made by a black filmmaker. Almost unanimously praised by the critics, the film earned Oscar
