Pre-screening introduction by Ernest Hardy of Boyz n the Hood. Nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, Boyz n the Hood captures the complicated lives of three African American men growing up in South Central Los Angeles. Groundbreaking in its depiction of the inner cityand prescient in its biting observations about gentrification, police brutality, and other social issuesthe film drew inspiration from Singleton's L.A. upbringing and made him both the youngest and first black Best Director nominee.