The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, USC School of Cinematic Arts,
USC African American Cinema Society (AACS),
and USC Visions & Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative,
Present
 

A Special Screening of SCA Alumnus John Singleton's

2 FAST 2 FURIOUS

Directed by SCA Alumnus John Singleton
Written by Michael Brandt & Derek Haas
Produced by SCA Alumnus Neal Moritz

Followed by a Q&A with Neal Moritz, Derek Haas, Tyrese Gibson,
Supervising Sound Editor Greg Hedgepath, Supervising ADR Editor Bobbi Banks,
and Assistant Art Director Warren Drummond

Moderated by SCA Alumna Dr. Manouchka Labouba, PhD

7:30 P.M. on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023

David Geffen Theater @ The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
6067 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE ACADEMY MUSEUM'S WEBSITE:
Academy Museum's 2 Fast 2 Furious Ticketing Homepage
 

Presented as part of John Singleton: A Celebration
A Year-Long Tribute to SCA Alum and Icon John Singleton
From September 9th, 2022 - April 19th, 2023

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE
VISIONS & VOICES THEME GUIDE
FOR JOHN SINGLETON: A CELEBRATION
 

About 2 Fast 2 Furious

This smash hit sequel to The Fast and the Furious (2001) takes leave of Dom Toretto and his family to follow Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), the LA cop who sacrificed his career to help his friend Dom escape justice. Given the chance to wipe his own criminal record clean, Brian teams up with his old friend Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) to infiltrate the organization of ruthless drug lord Carter Verone (Cole Hauser), while falling for undercover customs agent Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes). This film returned director John Singleton to the action-thriller genre of his 2000 Shaft reboot, and his high-energy sequel—with its mixture of light-hearted banter, increasingly over-the-top action sequences, and twisty plotting—helped set the template for the seven (and counting) sequels that followed. The film also introduced two performers who would become key members of the Furious “family”—Tyrese Gibson as Roman, and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges as race host Tej Parker.

Provided courtesy of Universal Pictures. Rated PG-13. Running time: 107 minutes.

About the Guests

NEAL MORITZ (Producer, SCA Alumnus)

Bio coming soon.

DEREK HAAS (Co-Writer)

Derek Haas is a renowned writer and producer whose first foray into television was the creation of “Chicago Fire” with Michael Brandt. He currently serves as the showrunner on the eleventh season of NBC’s “Chicago Fire” and as the executive producer on its spinoffs, “Chicago P.D.” and “Chicago Med.” He is also showrunning the CBS show, “FBI: International,” now in its second season.

Though best known for his work on “Chicago Fire,” he has also written and produced many hit feature films and published a best-selling book series. The features 3:10 to Yuma, Wanted, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Catch That Kid were all written by Haas and Brandt. These films grossed over a half-billion dollars worldwide at the box office.

Haas is also the author of “The Silver Bear,” “Columbus,” “Dark Men,” “A Different Lie,” and “The Way I Die,” a book series that The New York Times Book Review called “devastatingly cool.” Lionsgate has scooped up the rights to turn the Silver Bear into a feature film.

Born and raised in Texas, Haas attended Baylor University for both undergraduate and graduate work, earning a B.A. and an M.A. in English literature. He now lives in Los Angeles.

TYRESE GIBSON (Actor, "Roman Pearce")

Tyrese Gibson is a six-time GRAMMY® Award nominated singer/songwriter and international movie star with films earning a combined total of $8 billion at the global box office.

This spring, Gibson is set to reprise his signature role of “Roman Pearce” in “Fast X,” his seventh appearance in the wildly popular “Fast & Furious” movie franchise. The actor is also recognized for playing Robert Epps in another box office behemoth, “Transformers”.

In 2022, Gibson starred as “Simon Stroud” opposite Jared Leto playing the title role in “Morbius,” based on the Marvel Comics character.

The actor made his film debut in John Singleton’s “Baby Boy,” for which he won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. Gibson would go on to work with Singleton again on “2 Fast 2 Furious” and “Four Brothers”. Gibson’s feature film credits also include “Ride Along 2,” “Black Nativity,” “Legion,” “Death Race,” “The Take,” and “Flight of the Phoenix”.

Born and raised in the LA neighborhood of Watts, Gibson was discovered at the age of 16 when cast in a national soft drink commercial. His platinum-selling self-titled debut album earned him an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist. His most recent album, “Black Rose,” debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart and featured the single “Shame,” which was #1 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs Chart for 16 consecutive weeks and earned two of Gibson’s six GRAMMY nominations. Gibson is set to release his seventh studio album, “Beautiful Pain,” this year.

BOBBI BANKS (Supervising ADR Editor)

With over 30 years working in the film and television industry, an Emmy nomination and over 120 projects and counting, Bobbi Banks’ career continues to evolve. She has worked on films such as Chevalier, The Batman, A League of Their Own, August Osage County, Stonehearst Asylum, Selma, Men In Black International and Straight Outta Compton, to name a few. Ms. Banks is a past president of Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE), a former chair of A2020 Inclusion and Diversity Committee at AMPAS. She currently serves on several committees which also includes Chair of the Academy Museum Inclusion Advisory Committee, Nicholl Screenwriters Committee, Television Academy Board of Governors, Avid’s Community Association Executive Board of Directors and Industry Council for Roybal Film & Television Magnet. She also continues to seek ways to encourage and mentor the next generation.

GREG HEDGEPATH (Supervising Sound Editor)

Greg Hedgepath works as a supervising sound editor in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of Maryland and later received his AA degree in electronics while working at National Public Radio in Washington D.C. as a music mixer. After NPR he worked at George Lucas’ Skywalker Sound for 6 years, then moved to Los Angeles as a Re-recording mixer at an independent post facility. He later joined the union as a Sound Supervisor/Editor at Sony Studios. After Sony Greg became an independent Sound Supervisor and Sound Designer. He designed the tornados for TWISTER, and was a sound designer onthe film SPEED which won the Oscar for sound. Greg has worked on over 90 films and TV shows including FROZEN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, THE HUNGER GAMES, SELMA, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, SEAL TEAM, COMING 2 AMERICA, and the upcoming WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP.

WARREN DRUMMOND (Assistant Art Director)

Warren Drummond was born and raised in Jamaica Queens, New York. He attended the High School Of Art & Design and The School Of Visual Arts. Warren’s storyboard career began in the early 90’s with films like ABOVE THE RIM, 2nd Unit work on DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE and THE DEVIL’S OWN.

After working on A BEAUTIFUL MIND, Warren embraced Los Angeles, and worked on films such as 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, FENCES and many other features. Warren also storyboards television shows such as NCIS: NEW ORLEANS, MARVEL’S AGENTS OF SHIELD and GREY’S ANATOMY. In 2018, Warren made his directorial debut with the short UNKNOWN CALLER, which was written by and stars his son, Josh Drummond. There will be more projects written, directed, and produced by Warren in the future.

DR. MANOUCHKA LABOUBA, PhD (SCA Alumna, Moderator)

Manouchka Kelly Labouba is a researcher and a filmmaker originally from Gabon (Central Africa). As a filmmaker, she made history in her home country with her award-winning 40-minute directorial debut Le Divorce (2008). With that movie, she not only became the first woman to direct a narrative film in Gabon, but also the youngest director, regardless of gender, in Gabonese history. As a researcher, she works at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, where she is part of the curatorial teams developing the exhibitions Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971, Director's Inspiration: Agnès Varda and Boyz N the Hood. A part-time film instructor, she holds a PhD in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of Southern California, and an MA in Arts from the University of Bordeaux (France).

About John Singleton: A Celebration

Throughout the 2022/2023 academic year, Visions and Voices, the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and the USC African American Cinema Society, will host a series of screenings honoring the life and career of trailblazing filmmaker, iconic Angeleno, and USC alumnus, John Singleton. Screenings will take place at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the David Geffen Theater at the Academy Museum, with conversations to follow featuring cast and crew, including screenings of:

Boyz n the Hood (1991): 7:00p on Friday, September 9th, 2022 - Norris Cinema Theatre
Poetic Justice (1993): 7:00p on Wednesday, September 21st, 2022 - Ray Stark Family Theatre
Higher Learning (1995): 7:00p on Wednesday, October 12th, 2022 - Ray Stark Family Theatre
Rosewood (1997): 7:00p on Wednesday, November 9th, 2022 - Ray Stark Family Theatre
Shaft (2000): 7:00p on Wednesday, November 30th, 2022 - Ray Stark Family Theatre
Baby Boy (2001): 7:00p on Wednesday, January 25th, 2023 - Ray Stark Family Theatre
2 Fast 2 Furious (2003): 7:30p on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023 - David Geffen Theater, Academy Museum
Hustle & Flow (2005): 2:00p on Sunday, March 5th, 2023 - Ray Stark Family Theatre
Black Snake Moan (2007): 6:00p on Sunday, March 5th, 2023 - Ray Stark Family Theatre
Four Brothers (2005): 7:00p on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023 - Ray Stark Family Theatre
FX's Snowfall Finale (2023): 7:00p on Thursday, April 20th, 2023 - Ray Stark Family Theatre

All screenings will require individual RSVPs. Each film will have a unique event page, which will go live on an ongoing basis throughout the academic year.

About SCA Alumnus John Singleton

John Singleton was a film director, screenwriter, producer and USC alumnus. Singleton, who died on April 29, 2019, at age 51, was a Los Angeles native, and a graduate of the Filmic Writing program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts (now the John Wells Division of Writing for Screen & Television) in 1990. While at USC, he won the Jack Nicholson Screenwriting Award, given to a promising film school student, two years in a row: first in 1988 for Twilight Time, then the following year for Boyz n the Hood, which he wrote as his senior thesis on a campus library computer.

Boyz n the Hood, which Singleton also directed, had a breakout debut at the Cannes Film Festival and made Singleton the youngest person and first African American nominated for a directing Oscar. Made for $6 million, it grossed $57.5 million during its studio run and introduced Hollywood to a slate of then-unknown talent—Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, Angela Bassett, Nia Long—all of whom would become household names, not to mention Laurence Fishburne. It gave the world a new version of Los Angeles, one that Singleton described as “sunshine and bullets.”

As a native of South Los Angeles, many of his early films, such as Higher Learning (1995) and Baby Boy (2001), consider the implications of inner-city violence. Some of his other films include Rosewood (1997), Shaft (2000), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), and Four Brothers (2005). Singleton also executive produced the crime drama series Rebel, created by Amani Walker for BET, and co-created Snowfall for FX.

He started “attending” USC even before he was officially a student, while still a teenager in high school in South Los Angeles. Faculty and staff remember him as a precocious film historian, roaming the halls, asking questions about their work, and engaging them in conversations about favorite films, his being Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.

Singleton was a dedicated alumnus, making appearances at many University events, and returning to teach a class in 2016 titled “Emergence of Multicultural Cinema.” He was the 2006 recipient of SCA’s Mary Pickford Award, given to a distinguished alumnus at graduation each year; and in 2016 he received a Legacy Award from the University’s Black Alumni Association. He was an active member of the SCA Alumni Development Council and was also an SCA parent, having inspired his son Maasai to enroll at the School.

Singleton’s success created a model for other aspiring Black filmmakers. In the two decades since Singleton graduated, filmmakers like Rick Famuyiwa, Sheldon Candis, Ryan Coogler, Steven Caple Jr., and Tina Mabry, to name just a few, have found encouragement at the School. Rick Famuyiwa, who also grew up in a South Los Angeles neighborhood around the same time and makes films about the city, including The Wood (1999) and Dope (2015), describes Boyz’s success as “life changing,” and Singleton as the example of what living the dream could look like.

The School of Cinematic Arts and the USC Black Alumni Association have also established the John Singleton Scholarship for the Arts at USC to support students of color who are pursuing degrees in the arts at the university.

About The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

About the John Singleton Scholarship for the Arts at USC

As a devoted alumnus of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, John Singleton exemplified what it means to be a Trojan. He loved the university, and selflessly and enthusiastically gave his time and talent to helping our students succeed. John was frequently on campus, whether to teach a class on multicultural cinema, speak on a panel, or just because he wanted to hang out and talk about films with the next generation. He would have a hard time leaving because students always wanted to talk to him!

In addition to his dedicated involvement with SCA, John was also closely involved with the USC Black Alumni Association. A recipient of a BAA scholarship as a student, John never forgot the support and encouragement he received from the BAA, serving as an active mentor to BAA Scholars in the arts, contributing to the BAA’s scholarship fund, and engaging with students and alumni at BAA events such as Homecoming, various mixers and the annual Scholarship Benefit.

John was an example for the many students USC works to recruit from underrepresented communities, who have the talent to also be groundbreaking scholars, artists and creators like John, but don’t know how to get there. This is an important part of his legacy, and we hope you will continue that legacy by making a gift toward the John Singleton Scholarship for the Arts at USC.

Designed to honor John’s love for and legacy within both SCA and the BAA, this scholarship fund will support students of color from the greater Los Angeles Metropolitan area and to students from underrepresented minorities within the University community who are pursuing an education in the arts at USC.

Learn more at http://cinema.usc.edu/Singleton

About the USC African American Cinema Society (AACS)

Founded by the late John Singleton, while still a working student, and David L. Watts , the African American Cinema Society is an evolving incubator of artists and creatives of all sorts interested in the entertainment business and industry. We host events/screenings on and off-campus with special guests and Q&As. Our organization receives invitations to world premieres from studios, such as Disney, Marvel, and Sony because of the life and legacy of our predecessors. AACS continues to be most proud of establishing networking and collaboration opportunities as well as industry internships to our SCA community from acceptance through graduation.

Vision: The purpose of this organization is to provide networking opportunities for people of color, encourage a support system across all disciplines of interest as it relates to entertainment, but especially inside the cinema school.

Mission: The mission of the African American Cinema Society is to highlight and promote art and artists who are invested in showcasing complex and sophisticated representations of blackness and the black diaspora. 

We collaborate with Black University of Southern California students to create an environment in which we can thrive. Whether it’s networking events, screenings, Q&A’s with industry professionals, or advocating for students, we are pride ourselves on embodying the change we wish to see.

The current presidents are Catelin Shane (Graduate Production MFA) and Isaiah Simon (undergraduate Writing BA).

@uscaacs on all social media

Parking

For information about parking at the Academy Museum, please visit their website: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/visit

Contact Information

Name: Alessandro Ago
Email: aago@cinema.usc.edu