ReFocus: The Films of John Singleton

Critically re-evaluates the work of John Singleton, a celebrated Black American auteur whose work helped break a glass ceiling in Hollywood

• Builds on discussions about the political and aesthetic dimensions of Singleton’s work
• Identifies and interrogates the thematic and stylistic through lines running across Singleton’s oeuvre
• Contains methodological scope that blends close reading with attention to socioeconomic and historical forces and that brings poststructuralist theory to bear on Singleton’s work
• Draws connections between Singleton and key figures in literature and film, such as Akira Kurosawa, Pedro Almodóvar, August Wilson, and James Baldwin
• Fills a crucial scholarly gap between Black auteurs who rose to prominence prior to the 90s, such as Spike Lee and Melvin Van Peebles, and the new wave of Black filmmakers in Hollywood
• Trains attention on Singleton’s work in television

In 1992, John Singleton became the first Black filmmaker, as well as the youngest, to be nominated for the Best Director award at the Oscars. In the following decade, Singleton cemented his reputation as a Hollywood auteur who could move across genres while making critically acclaimed films that share a preoccupation with the triumphs and tribulations of Black life in America. And yet, Singleton’s films have received relatively little academic attention.

ReFocus: The Films of John Singleton fills this scholarly vacuum. This collection of original chapters addresses Singleton’s treatment of gender and racial difference, the family, urban space, and traumatic histories; it also identifies sources of inspiration in both Hollywood and world cinema, as well as draws connections between his films and the work of Black American literary figures. This collection is an invaluable resource for the future of Singleton studies.