Lions Gate ultimately gave the theatrical rights back to "Gang Tapes," which then tried to get it on screens with the help of the distribution company UrbanWorld, but to little avail. According to David Goodman, the film's producer, booking agents were telling the distributor that the film was "too strong in its depiction of gang life and that with the style of first-person presentation, it scared [theater owners]."

Even Magic Johnson Theaters -- a chain run by Loews and funded by the Magic Johnson Foundation with the hope of getting marginalized films into inner-city communities -- turned him down, despite the film's peaceful premiere in the Watts Magic Johnson Theater during the Pan-African Film Festival. Magic Johnson Theaters failed to return phone calls to comment on its rejection; other movie theaters did not explicitly cite violence as the reason they passed on "Gang Tapes." But as Kitt puts it, "No one is going to advertise those kinds of decisions. No one will come out and say that."

Theater owners are somewhat justified in fearing that showing "Gang Tapes" could trigger violence. A decade ago, riots ensued at the sold-out premieres of films like "New Jack City" and "Boyz N the Hood" when filmgoers showed up; "Boyz"-related violence left two dead and dozens injured in urban centers, including Los Angeles. As a result, theaters initiated a practice of opening urban-themed films on Wednesdays to avoid large opening-day crowds on weekends. Many theaters also began hiring additional security guards when a "black audience" was expected -- even for a movie as benign as "Barbershop." Violent incidents have been more sporadic since the early films depicting gang life -- and no single film has triggered widespread violence.

Obviously, violence doesn't just occur in movie houses showing urban films or films with predominantly black audiences. Kitt notes that Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" was considered contentious upon its release in 1989, and both the press and theater owners anticipated that violence would break out at screenings. Instead, it was another film -- "Batman" -- that hosted a fatal gun battle (thanks to a dispute over a box of popcorn). "You didn't hear about 'Batman' being pulled out of theaters, or anyone even suggesting it," Kitt says.

Still, fears about black audiences stubbornly persist among theater owners. Abdul Ammott's film "State Property," a sex- and murder-fueled tale about Philadelphia gangbangers, starring rappers Beanie Sigal and Jay-Z and geared for hardcore hip-hop fans, managed to book a few theaters, but the film's runs were short and tumultuous. Lions Gate also distributed this film, but found it nearly impossible to get it into theaters because of fears of violence.

"One major chain refused to play it in the beginning, but when they saw it was doing good business agreed to play it," recalls Ortenberg. "Another major chain agreed to play the picture initially but after one [violent] incident at one theater refused to play it more nationwide. We had a tougher time getting 'State Property' shown than any other film we've ever done."

The irony is that a film like "Gang Tapes" is intended to de-glamorize gang life. The violence in the movie, disturbing as it is, is not sexy -- one main character, after all, ends up with a colostomy bag, and two others die. "If you show the realities and horrors and atrocities of war, people won't want to go to war," Ripp argues. "People aren't going to want to run out and want to get involved in this violent battle because they know the repercussions. Everyone meets a negative end in the film."

And many of the cast members met such an end in real life, serving as tragic testament to the film's relevance. "Gang Tapes" doesn't seem to have taught these novice actors many lessons, so maybe it is a stretch to argue that the theatrical release of the film would somehow deter gangbangers from further violence. But it also seems unlikely to trigger riots in the art-house audiences it seeks, and it is not hard to imagine that kids flirting with the gangsta life might be repelled by what they see on-screen. Unfortunately, as long as the film isn't released, the nature of its impact is all conjecture -- which is why Ripp continues to lobby for his film, even as the situation looks hopeless.

"Hopefully, theaters will step up to bat, because it's an important film," Ripp says. "It wasn't made to incite violence; it was made to incite discussion."

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