Roxbury Film Festival Spotlight: Shot in the Hood

Shot in the Hood will screen with "Bullet Full of Knowledge," "Streets 2 Suites," and "The Maggot" on Friday, August 3, at 6:00 pm at the Cabral Center at the John D. O'Bryant African-American Institute, Northeastern University. The Roxbury Film Festival is running from now through Sunday at various venues around town. Check the Roxbury Film Festival's website for a schedule and details.

"Shot in the Hood," showing at the Roxbury Film Festival, comes from BPD officer Bill Willis, who interviews residents of Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan to find out what drives so many young people toward violence and how the pattern can be stopped.

The Dorchester Reporter has a long profile of Willis, who discusses his path to filmmaking and his belief in violence prevention. An increase in police on the streets is usually done as a reaction, and it's not going to help kids make different decisions. In an interview with WBUR, Willis says that he wanted "children to talk to children" because young people who may be tempted to commit crimes might take the experience of their peers more seriously.

"Shot in the Hood" is clearly the beginning of a dialogue. Willis turns on the camera and lets his subjects speak, and they open right up. Now it's up to everyone else to listen.

If you can't make it to the festival, you can watch "Shot in the Hood" on YouTube. Here's part one: