The USC School of Cinematic Arts, FX,
USC African American Cinema Society (AACS),
and USC Visions & Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative,
Invite you and a guest to attend
 

A Special Screening of the Series Finale of FX's

SNOWFALL

Created by John Singleton & Eric Amadio and Dave Andron

Followed by a Panel Discussion with:

Dave Andron, Co-Creator, Showrunner, Executive Producer, Writer
Walter Mosley, Executive Producer / Writer (Eps. 303, 307)
Damson Idris, Producer, “Franklin Saint”
Carter Hudson, “Teddy McDonald”
Amin Joseph, Director (Episode 608), “Jerome Saint”
Michael Hyatt, “Cissy Saint”
Angela Lewis, “Aunt Louie”
Isaiah John, “Leon”
Gail Bean, “Wanda Bell”
Tomas Voth, Production Designer

Moderated by Kevin Maxwell, USC John Singleton Scholar

7:00 P.M. on Thursday, April 20th, 2023

The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108
George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex
900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007

FREE ADMISSION. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RSVPs REQUIRED.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Presented as part of John Singleton: A Celebration
A Year-Long Tribute to SCA Alum and Icon John Singleton
From September 9th, 2022 - April 20th, 2023

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

About Snowfall

An empire is built brick by brick.

This was how crack began. Over the course of five seasons, FX’s Snowfall has chronicled how an off-the-books CIA operation contributed to the destruction rock cocaine leveled upon the vibrant community of South Central L.A.

It's October 1986 in this sixth and final season, as civil war threatens to destroy the Saint family. Franklin (Damson Idris) is desperate, forced to rob his Aunt Louie (Angela Lewis) and Uncle Jerome (Amin Joseph) after being wiped out by former CIA officer Teddy McDonald (Carter Hudson). Meanwhile, Louie has taken over Franklin’s role as Teddy's sole buyer, undercutting her nephew and creating a competing empire in the process.

Franklin is now faced with losing everyone he loves and everything he’s built, and coming through it all will mean out-maneuvering the KGB, the DEA and the CIA, as well as avoiding the LAPD’s fully militarized, fully corrupt, C.R.A.S.H units.

When everyone has their backs against the wall, who will they become in order to survive?

Created by John Singleton & Eric Amadio and Dave Andron, Snowfall is executive produced by Singleton, Andron, Thomas Schlamme, Amadio, Michael London, Trevor Engelson, Walter Mosley, Julie DeJoie and John LaBrucherie. Damson Idris also serves as Producer. Andron serves as showrunner. Snowfall is produced by FX Productions.

Provided courtesy of FX. Rated TV-MA.

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About the Guests

DAVE ANDRON (Co-Creator, Showrunner, Executive Producer, Writer)

Dave Andron is the showrunner and an executive producer of FX’s Snowfall. He previously served as executive producer for the Emmy^® Award-winning drama Justified, where he worked on all six seasons for FX, receiving a Peabody Award and a Writers Guild Award nomination. Andron is also a co-showrunner, executive producer and writer on FX’s upcoming limited series Justified: City Primeval.

WALTER MOSLEY (Executive Producer, Writer)

Walter Mosley is one of the most versatile and admired writers in America. He is the author of more than 60 critically acclaimed books including the upcoming King Oliver novel, Every Man a King, which will be released on February 23, 2023; the 15^th entry into his bestselling Easy Rawlins series, Blood Grove; a collection of short stories, The Awkward Black Man; plus Trouble is What I Do, the Edgar Award-winning novel Down the River and Unto the Sea and John Woman. His work has been translated into 25 languages and includes literary fiction, science fiction, political monographs, two books on writing fiction and a young adult novel. His short fiction has been widely published, and his nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times and The Nation, among other publications. In 2013 he was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame and is the winner of numerous awards including an O. Henry Award, the Mystery Writers of America’s (MWA) Grand Master Award, a GRAMMY^® and the PEN America Lifetime Achievement Award. Most recently, Mosley won an NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction” for The Awkward Black Man and the National Book Awards Lifetime Achievement Award, the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Mosley lives in New York City and Los Angeles.

DAMSON IDRIS (Producer, “Franklin Saint”)

Damson Idris is a British actor of Nigerian descent, born and raised in London. Idris’ acting debut was on the stage delivering his first performance in Ade Solanke’s play Pandora’s Box. He currently stars as lead role “Franklin Saint” in FX’s hit crime series Snowfall, created by the late John Singleton. Snowfall, now in its sixth season, chronicles the infamous rise of a small-time drug dealer as he builds a drug empire during the 1980s crack epidemic. Idris received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series in Snowfall and serves as a producer.

Idris’ most recent notable film credit was starring alongside Anthony Mackie in Netflix’s sci-fi action film, Outside the Wire (2021). Additional film credits include autobiographical Megan Leavey (2017) and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Farming (2018), co-starring Kate Beckinsale and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, for which Idris won the best performance award at the Edinburgh Film Festival. He has also guest starred in Charlie Brooker’s BAFTA award-winning series Black Mirror (2019) and Jordon Peele’s reboot of The Twilight Zone (2019).

Making waves in the fashion space, Idris is currently part of the Prada Fall/Winter 2022 Menswear Campaign. David Sims photographed a triptych of storytellers whose talents have helped shape 21st century cinema: Jeff Goldblum, Damson Idris and Rami Malek.

Idris is also partnered with Bono’s (RED) as a (RED)UCATOR, stepping-up to act as an ambassador for the fight against AIDS and COVID-19, using their global platform to help sound the alarm on the injustice of global health emergencies and champion proven programs that save lives.

CARTER HUDSON (“Teddy McDonald”)

Carter Hudson recently wrapped one of the leads in Jason Katims’ upcoming show Dear Edward for Apple TV+. This 10-episode series is based on Ann Napolitano’s The New York Times best-selling novel, with Hudson starring opposite Connie Britton and Taylor Schilling. Concurrently, Hudson stars in John Singleton’s groundbreaking FX series, Snowfall, which is going into its sixth and final season. His recent performance as a controversial love-interest opposite Sarah Pidgeon in Amazon's hit series The Wilds has generated a lot of attention as well.

Hudson recently starred at the prestigious Barrow Street Theatre in Lucy Prebble’s The Effect, directed by David Cromer. Before that, he performed Off-Broadway in The Substance of Fire at the Second Stage Theater under the direction of Trip Cullman, Abyss at The Play Company and The Unbuilt City for New York Stage and Film.

AMIN JOSEPH (Director - Episode 608, “Jerome Saint”)

Amin Joseph concludes his role as the lead patriarch “Jerome Saint” in FX’s hit series Snowfall and will make his directorial debut on the show helming “Ballad of the Bear.” He can be seen in The Royal on Amazon, starring as troubled baseball slugger Willie Mays Aikens. Joseph’s recent and upcoming television appearances include HBO Max’s Tacoma FD, ALLBLK’s Send Help and the reprisal of FX’s Justified: City Primeval. Joseph received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in Snowfall.

Joseph previously starred in Paramount’s blockbuster reboot of Baywatch, the Netflix feature The After Party and opposite Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker in City of Lies, a thriller about the investigation of the murders of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.

Joseph is a graduate of Howard University. He is a protégé of the world-famous Apollo Theater in his hometown of Harlem, New York, where he also interned during his youth. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

MICHAEL HYATT (“Cissy Saint”)

Michael Hyatt was born in England to Jamaican parents. At the age of 10, she immigrated to the United States with her mother and two siblings. Living in Maryland and later Washington, D.C., Hyatt slowly adjusted to the American way of life. She went on to study acting at Howard University for her undergraduate degree and continued at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts for her master’s degree.

Before Hyatt’s work in film and television, she enjoyed memorable performances on stages throughout the country, most notably on Broadway in the critically-acclaimed Ragtime.

Hyatt can currently be seen in the Sony Pictures feature film adaptation of the acclaimed bestselling book, Where the Crawdads Sing. Some of her other film credits include The Little Things with Denzel Washington and Rami Malek, Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal and Four Good Days with Glenn Close and Mila Kunis. Her numerous television credits include The Comey Rule, The West Wing, The Wire, True Detective, Ray Donovan and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. She’ll next be seen in the Apple TV+ limited series The Last Thing He Told Me with Jennifer Garner.

ANGELA LEWIS (“Aunt Louie”)

Rising star Angela Lewis, has garnered many roles from some of the most illustrious off-Broadway productions to award-winning drama television series. Lewis will make her return as “Aunt Louie” on the sixth and final season of the FX series, Snowfall, co-created by the late award-winning director, John Singleton. The crime drama series is set against the infancy of the 1980s crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles and tells how it affected the city as well as its culture. The series follows numerous characters who deal with the war zone that the epidemic ensues in this era of Los Angeles. Her role as “Aunt Louie,” a woman who started at the very bottom but used her cunning, connections and immense desire for a better life, to escape the hard knocks of South-Central LA, is set to showcase her artistic talent of acting.

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Lewis credits her drive and success to her village of family and friends and the public school education she received. At the age of three, she desired to be an actress and soon became the entertainer of the family. Her very supportive parents provided her opportunities to sing in various choirs, as well as saxophone, ballet, tap, jazz and West African dance lessons, which molded her into a performer. To avoid the pitfalls of inner-city life, she opted to engross herself in her studies and extracurricular activities, which subsequently gave her intellectual growth and the perseverance she has today.

Lewis continued to develop as an artist by being involved in the Readers Theater & Performing Arts Guild in high school, under the tutelage of Tony Award^® winning instructor, Ms. Marilyn McCormick. After attending a student trip to New York City with McCormick, Lewis was compelled to make the move to the city of dreams one day. The next stop, however, as mandated by her parents, was college. Lewis majored in theater at the University of Michigan and by her senior year, had gone from partial talent scholarships to a full ride. Lewis graduated from U-M with a bachelor’s degree in Theater Performance.

Upon graduating, she made the move to New York City to pursue her acting career. Her first major role in an Off-Broadway play, History of the Word, gained her an equity card, first agent and manager. During her tenure as a young, working actor (complete with a side hustle as a bartender and cocktail waitress) in most of New York's illustrious playhouses, she built relationships and established herself in the theater community's elite circle of theater artists. She also quickly began working as a voiceover and commercial talent for brands such as Verizon, AT&T Wireless and McDonalds to name a few.

In 2011, Lewis landed a role in La Jolla Playhouse's production of Milk Like Sugar. The play became the winner of the 2012 Obie Award for Playwriting and 2011 San Diego Critics Circle Craig Noel Award for Outstanding New Play. It was there that she met co-actor and husband-to-be, J. Mallory McCree. Life and career really began to flourish, and she gained her first television role on the SHOWTIME critically acclaimed drama series, The Big C opposite Laura Linney. It was a small appearance, but it opened the door to a growing on-camera career, including a long goal of a guest star role on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

After two and half years of dating, Lewis and J. Mallory married in August of 2014 in their hometown Detroit, Michigan. The happy newlyweds then packed their stuff and moved to Los Angeles to further pursue film and television goals. Out the gate, Lewis booked back-to-back guest starring roles on TNT's The Last Ship and CBS' Code Black before landing the series regular role in Snowfall.

Currently residing in Los Angeles with her husband and toddler, Lewis spends her time balancing work, life-partnership, motherhood and self-care. She stays healthy by practicing meditation, yoga, strength training and dance classes. She is co-founder of BlüRemedi Media, a company that creates, develops and produces fresh, high caliber and dynamic content, redefining cultural norms by illuminating the vast diversity within diversity. Committed to giving back and the uplifting of black (and brown) people, Lewis has also co-founded the non-profit Moon Child Collaborative, which houses its first initiative, Lewis’s own labor of love – Birth Village. Since becoming a mother to her first child in 2019, Lewis has been inspired to use her platform for the annihilation of the black Maternal Health crisis by raising awareness, educating, advocating and providing access to resources for black (and of color) women, families and workers in the birth space. Lewis’s desire is to live fully in her power by alchemizing her passion for exploring humanity through the arts, standing in the fullness of the light and love that is her core, carving out a legacy for herself as an actress, writer, producer (and whatever is to come) and glowing in the fullness of her womanhood, through which her family grows and thrives, and the world becomes a better place.

Lewis is Pesca-vegan (no dairy or eggs, but allows seafood), is enjoying being a student of life, wants the world to normalize breastfeeding and loves to dabble in arts and crafts. You can follow Birth Village on Instagram @birthvillage.org and Angela at @luvangelalewis on Twitter & Instagram and at www.luvangelalewis.com.

ISAIAH JOHN (“Leon”)

Isaiah John was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. From an early age John knew he wanted to be an entertainer. Every weekend he and his two siblings would perform shows for their parents and at the age of 14, John began expressing an interest in acting. In 2009 he displayed his acting chops in a student film called No Way Out. After his time on set, John discovered a deeper love for the craft.

He went on to train with Carl Ford and other great acting coaches. As much as he enjoyed being in front of the camera, he also wanted experience working behind the scenes. With his desire to understand what it takes to put together a full production, John worked as a production assistant. This gave him great insight and helped him further develop his craft.

Between acting jobs, John worked as a janitor at a local gym. Even after he booked a role on Barbershop: The Next Cut, John kept his job as a janitor and would rise at the crack of dawn to fulfill his duties.

Booking the role of Leon Simmons on FX’s Snowfall as a series regular is a dream come true for John. He considers himself truly blessed to be working on a show with such an incredibly talented cast and crew, including Dave Andron and the late John Singleton.

Between filming seasons two and three of Snowfall, John had the pleasure of booking a role in a Netflix’s original feature called All Day and a Night directed by Joe Robert Cole.

GAIL BEAN (“Wanda Bell”)

Gail Bean is a multi-hyphenate actress currently starring in Starz’s gritty drama P-Valley. Bean joined the critically acclaimed series in season two as “Roulette” and as a straight shooter on FX's critically acclaimed drama series Snowfall. Created by the late icon John Singleton, set in south-central Los Angeles, this period piece follows actual events of the United States government ushering crack cocaine into Black communities and fostering the demise of a people. For the past four seasons, Bean has starred as Wanda, an around-the-way girl who journeys through the ebbs and flow of addiction. Having proximity to drugs, she eventually falls prey and grapples with who she was versus who she has become. Bean portrays Wanda's journey with sheer humanity and honesty while offering an authentic viewpoint of battling addiction.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a schoolteacher and professional football coach, Bean was raised to love and appreciate the arts. At just age three, her family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and it was there that her parents enrolled Bean in ballet, art and theater classes to cultivate her passion. After enrolling in acting courses for several years, her mentor, Rodney Perry, encouraged Bean to transition to Los Angeles to pursue a serious career in acting.

In 2014, Bean starred in Duffle, a short film by indie filmmaker Eric Rhea that explores the story of a young unemployed father-to-be struggling to follow the right path when faced with fatherhood. In 2015, the St. Louis native starred in Kris Swanberg's Sundance hit, Unexpected opposite Cobie Smulders. Additional roles include Spectrum's Paradise Lost, launched in the summer of 2020, and the Indie favorite Test Pattern, which shares the story of a couple's relationship being tested after a traumatic experience.

Bean stirred headlines in 2015 with Kris Swanberg's Sundance film festival hit Unexpected. She was listed in The Hollywood Reporter as one of the “Top 10 Next Generation Breakout Stars of Sundance.” Since her breakout role, Bean has landed roles in the James Gunn horror thriller The Belko Experiment (2016), which explored the survival of the strongest experiment when employees learn that they are pawns in a deadly game and have to stick together to remain alive. One of Bean's most memorable television roles is the controversial character of “Rasheeda” in Issa Rae's hit HBO series Insecure. Bean's television credits also include NBC's Chicago P.D., the FX Emmy® Award-winning series Atlanta and Comedy Central's Detroiters.

Committed to using her platform to empower and educate, Bean is actively involved in philanthropic programs that provide art resources to support disenfranchised communities for healing and upliftment. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and she continuously champions financial literacy and entrepreneurship. She continues to be a staunch advocate for community service, theater programs and art projects centered on helping children and young adults.

TOMAS VOTH (Production Designer)

Tomas Voth most recently worked as production designer for six seasons of Snowfall for FX, as well as the feature films White Men Can’t Jump, Driven starring Jason Sudeikis, Jonathan Mostow’s Hunter’s Prayer, the TV series 68 Whiskey and the pilot for the TV series The Last Ship.

In 2018, Voth designed Jonathan Jakubowicz’s Resistance starring Jesse Eisenberg and Ed Harris after having designed for Jakubowicz’s Hands of Stone starring Robert De Niro, Édgar Ramírez and John Turturro in 2015.

Before that, he was the production designer on Oliver Stone’s Savages and has worked as supervising art director for other movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Nine, Wanted, Michael Mann’s Ali, Dreamgirls (Academy Award® nominee, Best Art Direction), Rob Marshall’s TV movie Tony Bennett (Emmy Award® winner, Best Art Direction), What Dreams May Come (Academy Award® nominee, Best Art Direction) and Memoirs of a Geisha (Academy Award® winner, Art Direction). In addition to Voth’s involvement on many independent films, he is distinguished for his growing 2nd unit director responsibilities and IP creative development.

KEVIN MAXWELL (Moderator, USC John Singleton Scholar)

Kevin Maxwell is an accomplished film director and entrepreneur who started his career early on and worked his way up to Terrorist Investigator for the Department of Homeland Security. However, after a personal tragedy in 2013, he decided to focus on his passion for storytelling, leading him to create his first award-winning short film, CORA. This powerful film is based on the experiences of his grandmother, who overcame racial and domestic violence to become a successful restaurant owner in the deep south during the 1960s. It was co-executive produced by Anne Spielberg and showcased at the Cannes Film Festival's Emerging Filmmaker Showcase, as well as being shortlisted for a Student British Academy Award and receiving recognition at various other international film festivals.

Maxwell's second short film, "A Beautiful Nightmare," was based on his twin brother's mental health experiences and won multiple awards, including a Gold Telly Award for Best Student Social Impact Film. Maxwell's unique vision for producing films that challenge societal norms and promote diversity of experience has made him a sought-after director and producer. He holds degrees from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the Annenberg School of Communication and is currently studying Business Management & Data Analytics at the USC Marshall School of Business to become a Film and Television Executive. In his 11 years of experience, he has helped numerous clients achieve their goals through visual communication in government, entrepreneurship, and entertainment industries.

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 (2017 - 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 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

Check-In & Reservations

This screening is free of charge and open to the public. A reservation confirmation will automatically be sent to your e-mail account upon successfully making an RSVP through this website. Doors will open at 6:30 P.M.

All SCA screenings are OVERBOOKED to ensure seating capacity in the theater, therefore seating is not guaranteed based on RSVPs. The RSVP list will be checked in on a first-come, first-served basis until the theater is full. Once the theater has reached capacity, we will no longer be able to admit guests, regardless of RSVP status.

Parking 

On-campus parking at the University of Southern California is limited, and it is best to visit the USC Transportation Website for the most up-to-date information if you plan to drive and park on campus:

https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/daily-and-hourly-parking/
https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/about-us/entrance-hours/
 

Contact Information

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