NaRa Films hosted an official screening for their first independent film, Blood First, on November 30th at South Side Works Cinema. Starring Edwin Lee Gibson, Carl Redwood, Lamar Darnell Fields, Aki Jamal, and Sundiata El Rice, Blood First is a chilling depiction of an urban family’s unbreakable cycle of imprisonment, drugs, and violence.
Set in Homewood over a 25 year span, viewers watch as two brothers attempt to maintain their domestic priorities when business gets a little shaky.
After father and local drug dealer, Raqmaan (Gibson), goes to prison, it is up to his two sons, Rico and O to survive in their neighborhood without paternal guidance.
Many longtime Homewood residents joined the cast and crew to witness the 78-minute gangster movie.
One of those Homewood residents, Allison McLeod, said the film is nothing less than “real”. “Blood First was a project that brought the entire community together,” says, McLeod, 28.
After the movie screening, the cast answered questions from attendees about how they got involved with the production and their experience on camera. McLeod, along with hundreds of others, were moved by the film, but the community involvement started long before the special screening.
McLeod herself served as movie caterer with her company, Auntie’s Kitchen. After multiple days on the set, McLeod says, “It was a joy to see community members come and socialize on the set, creating a positive experience to show people who view the community in a negative light that good things do occur in Homewood.
The familiar street corners, and landmarks was only a drop in the bucket compared to all the local talent that emerged from the screen. Other than Edwin Lee Gibson, all actors were deeply connected to the Pittsburgh area, including experienced actors, Carter Redwood and Lamar Darnell Fields.
In May 2011, Councilman Ricky Burgess was featured on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow show segment called Home Sweet Homewood- labeling the East End neighborhood as one of America’s most dangerous neighborhoods. The segment included the councilman’s 20 minute tour.
The news piece, which is available on YouTube, was brought up during the question and answer portion at the special screening. Many agreed that the national exposure was inaccurate and a one-sided portrayal of Homewood.
Unlike the liberal cable news segment featuring Rev. Burgess, the movie relayed a plethora of different messages that plague the Homewood community. Instead of casting the National Rifle Association (NRA) as the core seed for gun violence, the fictional tale reflected some of the area’s other setbacks– single parent homes, high incarceration rates, drug abuse, and drug trafficking
Director Najaa Young apparently used her film studies at Florida State University as an instrument to create Blood First. Her directorial debut is monumental for rarely do we see African American women as directors in the film industry. Despite the independent release, it is the film’s amateur look that appeals to an audience searching for different.
“Our goal as producers was and is to stimulate a meaningful dialogue around these issues, as well as raise questions about how environment and parenting can determine who you are as an adult, what manhood is in urban communities and how influential men are in boys lives,” says Young on the movie’s website.
3 Stars: Movies made locally are the true cinematic gems of Pittsburgh. While it’s easy for big name productions like The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and Jack Reacher to bombard city streets, the films made here like Blood First and Set Free capture the spot-on essence of Pittsburgh life for African Americans.
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