of the projects, but his father is less than happy about what his son has done. This causes an argument in the house which leads to more violence and Dennis' mother having to go to the hospital. The next day at the hospital, Dennis' father goes out for some air when the drug dealer who was robbed sees him and recognizes who he is. The dealer and his accomplices chase him and he is blocked on both sides and shot dead. At the same time, in the hospital, Dennis' mother dies with her son and daughter by her side. The movie ends with the bloodied father lying still in death, against a fence. Cast Larry Gilliard, Jr. as Dennis Brown George T. Odom as Ray Brown Ann D. Sanders as Frankie Brown Barbara Sanon as Carolyn Brown Reana E. Drummond as Shirley Matty Rich as Larry Love Mark Malone as Kevin Ali Shahid Abdul Wahhab as Luther Production Rich wrote the screenplay when he was 17. It began as a short story and 8-minute clip, which (he explains in the outtakes for the film) he made for himself and for high school kids. He made the film over a period of two years with an amateur cast working for free. Rich himself plays Dennis' friend, Larry. He financed much of the budget with credit cards and donations from family members. Rich also raised money by going on a New York City drive time radio show and asking listeners for donations; listeners donated a total of $77,000. The total budget was $450,000. Upon release, the film was critically acclaimed and grossed $2.7 million at the box office. He was just 19 years old when the film was released. The mother and father were based on Rich's great aunt and great uncle, respectively. Dennis is patterned after Rich's cousin. Other scenarios and characters are based on his experiences and observations in the neighborhood where Rich grew up. The film uses original music by Harold Wheeler. Reception Roger Ebert called Straight Out of Brooklyn "a strong, good film": "It all adds up to a convincing portrait of a big city black teen-ager who feels that if he does not take some sort of conclusive action, life will clamp him into poverty and discouragement." Accolades At the 1992 Independent Spirit Awards, Rich won the award for Best First Feature. George T. Odom was nominated