Menace II Society

Background:

American director and producer Albert Hughes is popular as part of the Hughes Brothers, along with his partner and twin, Allen Hughes, with Albert having specified himself as the more technically bound of the brace. Entering the showbiz as music video directors, the Detroit, Michigan natives, who are proud of their African American and Armenian origin, rose to prominence with their feature film debut, “Menace II Society” (1993), which was well received by the critics and a surprise hit with the audience. They won an Independent Spirit nomination for their efforts. They also co directed the fiction films “Dead Presidents” (1995, earned a Karlovy Vary International Film Festival nomination) and “From Hell” (2001, received a Black Reel nomination) and the documentary “American Pimp” (1999, nabbed a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance and a Black Reel nomination). Albert himself served as an executive producer on the American TV series version of “Touching Evil” (2004).

Moviegoers should look forward for the brothers' directorial efforts in “The Book of Eli” (2010).

Known for his blunt manner, Albert has been involved in several altercations, including one with the rap artist Tupac Shakur. In 1994, Albert and his brother took Shakur to court after the rapper attack the Hughes during a music video shot. As a result of the incident, Shakur, who had originally been set to star in “Menace II Society,” was replaced by another actor. He also received fifteen days sentence in jail for the assault and another incident which happened a day before his sentencing. The father of one has also let the public know about his use of marijuana and so has Allen. They have rejected the offers to do ads opposing marijuana.

How to Be a Burglar

Childhood and Family:

Albert Hughes was born on April 1, 1972, in Detroit, Michigan, to an African American father and an Armenian mother. His twin brother, Allen, is nine minutes younger than him. Their parents divorced when the boy were two years old, leaving them under the guidance of their mother, Aida Hughes. She next moved the family to Pomona, California in 1981 when the boys were nine years old. A tough single parent, she took an odd job at an In-N-Out Burger while raising her twins and putting herself through school. Her hard work paid off within three years when she eventually set up her own business, a vocational rehabilitation center for workers hurt on the job. The boy's mother went on to become a president of Pomona's chapter of the National Organization for Women.

Albert and his brother got a video camera from their mom at age 12. They quickly developed loves for filmmaking and spent much of their leisure time making shorts. While in high school, they made a short called “How to Be a Burglar” for a class assignment. After dropping out of high school, Albert began his professional filmmaking studies at Los Angeles City College.

Albert has one daughter.

The Book of Eli

Career:

Starting making short films at age 12, Albert Hughes had shown their work on the local cable station by the time he was in high school. Commonly working together with his twin brother, he received his first break when one of the brothers' public entree films, “The Drive By,” won them an agent. Before long, the pair found themselves directing music video for rap artists like Tupac Shakur, KRS-One, Digital Underground, and Tone-Loc.

Used the money they got from directing the videos, Albert and his brother made their feature directorial debut with “Menace II Society” (1993), which they also co-produced and wrote the story. Telling about the battle of a young African American man to depart the Southern California projects, the urban drama, which starred Tyrin Turner, Larenz Tate, Jada Pinkett Smith and Samuel L. Jackson, premiered at the Directors Fortnight in Cannes Film Festival in 1993 and earned critical acclaim thanks to its grainy portrayal of urban violence and its strong implicit messages. They were nominated for Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, which they shared with producer Darin Scott. At the box office, “Menace II Society” grossed almost $30 million domestically, with an original budget of $3.5 million.

With the film's stunning success, Albert and his brother were allowed to leave commitment with New Line Cinema, which had produced “Menace II Society,” and signed a two picture, three year contract with Disney's Caravan Productions. Besides, the pair were able to set up their own production and record label, Underworld Entertainment. Consisting of two divisions, Underworld Productions and Underworld Records, the company aimed to produce their films and soundtrack tie-ins, in addition to representing rap and hip-hop recording artists.

Two years later, Albert and Allen produced, wrote the story and directed the sophomore efforts “Dead Presidents,” a crime drama chronicling the life of Anthony Curtis (played by Larenz Tate), a Vietnam veteran who finds himself struggling to support his family and finally turning to a life of crime. Released on October 4, 1995, the film was wrongly marketed by Disney as a heist picture and was responded mixed by critics at the opening. It was also not a significant success at the box office. The Hughes brothers jointly picked up a Crystal Globe nomination at the 1996 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for their work in the film.

After the commercial failure of “Dead Presidents,” the brothers disappeared from the moviemaking circuits for almost four years. They returned in 1999 when they directed and produced the documentary film “American Pimp,” which examines the pimp social group in the United States. Their sacrifice paid off when the film brought them Grand Jury Prize nomination for Documentary at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and a Black Reel nomination for Theatrical - Best Director. Originally, Allen and his brother had been set to adapt Iceberg Slim's autobiography, “Pimp: The Story of My Life”, for the wide screen, but gave up the chance in favor of making the critical praised documentary.

2001 saw Albert serve as additional photographer in Doug Pray's acclaimed documentary “Scratch,” which he also executive produced. Later that same year, he revisited the fiction filmmaking with the crime/thriller “From Hell,” about the Jack the Ripper murders. Adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, with a screenplay by Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias, and starring Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, and Ian Holm, the film received mixed reviews and grossed over $31 million domestically and $74 million worldwide. The brothers netted a Black Reel nomination for Theatrical - Best Director for their work.

In the following year, Albert and his brother could be seen directing Korn music videos for the group's singles “Here to Stay” and “Thoughtless.” They also made TV commercials for Nike named “Roswell Rayguns,” “Rucker Park” and “Funk Ship.” In 2004, the pair

In 2004, Albert was an executive producer on the TV crime/drama series “Touching Evil,” based on the 1997 British TV miniseries of the same name. The American version, starring starring Jeffrey Donovan as detective David Creegan, received critical acclaim, but failed to attract large audience. The show ran for a single season of 12 episodes on the USA Network. While Albert holding the producing duty, brother Allen directed a few episodes of the series.

Recently, Albert and Allen have completed their new film, “The Book of Eli,”based on a script by Gary Whitta. The forthcoming post-apocalyptic action is set to be released on January 15, 2010. Among the main cast are Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Beals, and Michael Gambon.

Awards:
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