User:Feuersteinj/Down For Life (Por Vida)

Down For Life (Por Vida) is a drama from American filmmaker Alan Jacobs. The film was shot on location in South-Central Los Angeles and stars local youths in the lead roles.

Renowned music supervisor and soundtrack producer Paul Stewart (Hustle & Flow, Barber Shop) is overseeing the music production and soundtrack along with Snoop Dogg and Lil' Rob. Their vision is to update classic “lowrider” oldies, setting them to modern hip-hop and Latino rhythms.

Short Synopsis
Based on a New York Times article Essay in Search of Happy Endings, DOWN FOR LIFE depicts a single, fateful day in the life of a 15-year-old Latina gang leader. Leaving the gang, she discovers, is more difficult than joining. The film was shot on location in South-Central Los Angeles and stars local youths in the lead roles.

Medium Synopsis
On August 10, 2005, The New York Times published the article 'Essays in Search of Happy Endings', about a class at Locke High School in the Watts section of Los Angeles. The students were assigned to write about a day in their lives. The article featured the essay of one student who at age 15 was running the girl clique of a major gang and dating the 24-year-old gang leader.

After the article appeared, writer/director Alan Jacobs (American Gun, Nina Takes a Lover) secured the film rights and developed a screenplay inspired by the real-life events. Like the essay, our story takes place all in one day—the day that the girl, Rascal, decides to leave the gang. Leaving, she discovers, is a good deal harder than joining.

Rascal’s story is further complicated by racial tensions between her Latina gang and a rival black girl gang, a frequent problem today in Los Angeles schools. DOWN FOR LIFE presents a raw, authentic look at a teenager’s life in the ghetto. Some have compared it to the Brazilian film “City of God” for its unflinching look at a world most of us know little about.

The film captures the brutal honesty of life in South-Central and stars actual at-risk girls from Watts who deliver powerful performances in their first time in front of the camera. DOWN FOR LIFE was filmed entirely on location in Los Angeles, including at Locke High where the original article and real-life story took place.

Cast
Jessica Romero:        Rascal Emily Rios:	    Vanessa Rivera Danny Glover:      Mr. Shannon Kate del Castillo: Esther Laz Alonso:          Officer Barber Snoop Dogg:        Mr. Hightower Elizabeth Peña:    Mrs. Castro