PBS高端访谈:好莱坞导演约翰·辛格顿去世（在线收听）

JUDY WOODRUFF: Finally tonight, we remember the Oscar-nominated film director and writer John Singleton, who died today after a stroke. Jeffrey Brown is back with Singleton's story and how his work inspired others who would follow him. Again, it's part of our Canvas series on arts and culture.

JEFFREY BROWN: John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, set in his own hometown of South Central Los Angeles, told the story of three teens struggling to grow up amid violence and gang culture, a world rarely portrayed by Hollywood. He was just 24 years old and became both the youngest person and first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for best director. He was also nominated for best screenplay. The movie served as a launching pad as well for actors with big careers to come, including Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Regina King, and Ice Cube. Speaking at the Austin Film Festival in 2016, Singleton told of his determination to direct the film when meeting with executives. The interview aired on the PBS series On Story.

JOHN SINGLETON, Writer/Director: They were testing me. They were saying, hey, what if we tell you we want to buy your script and we get somebody else to direct it? And I said, well, we have to end this meeting right now. They're like, whoa. And I said, well, because I'm going to direct this movie.

JEFFREY BROWN: He would go on to direct other films with themes of racial and social justice at their center, including Poetic Justice with Janet Jackson, Baby Boy and Rosewood, as well as a sequel in the Fast and Furious movie franchise. And he directed or produced many episodes of highly regarded television series, including American Crime Story, Empire and Snowfall. Leading filmmakers and actors spoke publicly of his influence and support, among them, Ava DuVernay, director of Selma, who wrote on Twitter: His kindness lifted me up. I remember him coming to the premiere of my indie years ago, showing love, support for a fellow black director from L.A. Producer Shonda Rhimes, creator of Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and other series, wrote on Instagram that Singleton reached out to her when she was struggling in film school. He was kindly calling to offer me some words of encouragement, she wrote. He told me to keep writing. I never forgot it. In the 2016 interview, Singleton encouraged young filmmakers to follow their own vision.

JOHN SINGLETON: It's all about having that original concept and genuine concept of where you're from. Your perspective and your POV, it may not be for everybody, but it's your perspective, and it's valid.

JEFFREY BROWN: John Singleton, who struggled with high blood pressure, suffered a stroke on April 17. He died in Los Angeles this afternoon after life support was withdrawn. He was 51 years old.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And we honor his memory.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：今晚的主题是向一位曾获奥斯卡提名的电影导演兼作家约翰·辛格顿致敬。今天，他在突发中风后离世。下面请听杰弗里·布朗为我们带回有关辛格顿及其作品的报道。他的作品曾激励无数人追随他的脚步。本期也属于我们节目关于艺术与文化集锦的系列。

杰弗里·布朗：约翰·辛格顿1991年的《街区男孩》是在他的故乡——洛杉矶中南部拍摄的。这部电影讲述了3个少年的故事。他们成长的过程历经坎坷，暴力和帮派文化给他们带来了极大的影响。这个角度是好莱坞鲜少涉足的。那时候，年仅24岁的辛格顿凭借这部影片揽获奥斯卡最佳导演的提名，他是第一位获得该提名的非裔美国人，也是史上获得该提名最年轻的导演。此外，他还获得了最佳编剧奖。这部电影成了他的出发点，也带红了很多影视大咖，比如劳伦斯·菲什伯恩、小古巴·戈丁、雷吉娜·金、艾斯·库伯。2016年在奥斯汀电影节上接受采访时，辛格顿讲到自己在与执行董事见面后就对执导这部影片充满了信心。这次访谈在我台的《影视访谈》栏目有播出。

约翰·辛格顿，编剧/导演：他们故意逗我。他们说，嘿，约翰，要不我们买下你的剧本，然后让别人来拍，怎么样？我回复说：那咱们就没什么好谈的了。然后他们就故意唏嘘。接着，我说，这部电影，我拍定了。

杰弗里·布朗：接着，他还继续执导了其他主题的电影，比如种族偏见和社会不公正等。比如，珍妮·杰克逊主演的《因果循环》、《宝贝男孩》、《紫檀镇》以及《速度与激情2》。他曾执导并制作过很多好评如潮的电视剧，如《美国罪案故事》、《嘻哈帝国》、《白粉飞》。当时，许多业内知名的导演和演员都对辛格顿的影响力和支持力赞许有加，比如《塞尔玛》的导演艾娃·德约列。她发推文表示：辛格顿的善良给了我鼓励。我依然记得多年前，他来参加我独立制作电影的首映典礼。当时，洛杉矶的珊达·瑞姆斯还是一位名不见经传的黑人小导演，但辛格顿不吝对他的支持和关爱。曾拍摄过《实习生格蕾》、《丑闻》等电视剧。珊达·瑞姆斯在Ins上发状态称，自己还在电影学校迷茫于前途的时候，辛格顿就曾鼓励过她。她写道，辛格顿先生很善良，他特意发来鼓励的话给我。他告诉我，不要停止创作。他的话，我至今难忘。在2016年的一次采访中，辛格顿鼓励年轻的导演们要始终追寻自己的愿景。

约翰·辛格顿：这其实只是对自己的身份有一个初始的、真正的理解。你的角度和观点可能无法让每个人都感同身受，但这是属于你的真实观点。

杰弗里·布朗：一直患有高血压的约翰·辛格顿于4月17日突发中风。在生命维持系统撤除后，他于今天下午在洛杉矶离世，享年51岁。

朱迪·伍德拉夫：让我们向他留下的宝贵回忆致敬。