SANDY KOZEL
On March 7, 1965, in Selma, Alabama, a 600-person civil
rights demonstration ended in violence when marchers
were attacked and beaten by white state troopers and
sheriff’s deputies. The day’s events became known as
"Bloody Sunday."
On February 19, 1992, 24-year-old recent film school graduate
John Singleton became the youngest and first Black film
director nominated for an Academy Award for his movie,
Boyz n the Hood.
The poignant coming-of-age drama set in gang-ridden South
Central Los Angeles brought inner-city realities to the screen
in a way not seen in Hollywood before. Its success created
opportunities for a generation of Black filmmakers to tell their
stories.
On April 17, 2019, Singleton suffered a stroke and was placed
under intensive care.
On April 25, it was reported that he was in a coma, and was
was removed from life support and he died on April 28 at the
age of 51 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dozens of actors
and musicians paid tribute to him.
David Lynch, the director behind Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet,
Mulholland Drive, and other works, died January 15th. His
family confirmed the passing on his official Facebook page.
The post announcing his death didn’t list a cause, but
last August, Lynch revealed that he had been diagnosed
with emphysema “from my many years of smoking.”
A 2001 neo-noir mystery film.
Director James Cameron’s epic drama Titanic, the story of the
real-life luxury ocean liner that struck an iceberg and sank on
its maiden voyage in 1912, resulting in the deaths of more than
1,500 passengers and crew, opened in theaters.
Titanic catapulted its young stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate
Winslet to international fame and won 11 Academy Awards,
including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Music (the song
“My Heart Will Go On,” sung by Celine Dion).
The film also immortalized the line “I’m the king of the world!,”
which Cameron famously repeated during the Oscar ceremony,
as he picked up his gold statuette for Best Director.
James Francis Cameron
Filmmaker Steven Allan Spielberg is a major figure of the New
Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster. He is
widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time
and is the most commercially successful director in film history
with many accolades, including three Academy Awards.
Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up in Phoenix,
Arizona. He moved to California and studied film in college. He’s
78 today.
