Last Chance 2 Vote 4 Ryan Coogler's "Locks"

If you haven't yet watched Locks, a beautiful short film shot in Oakland, you need to do so asap! Richmond and Oakland native Ryan Coogler is a finalist in the Tribeca Film Festical in New York City, and the last day to vote is April 14th! Please support great local art by voting now.

I've written in support of the film before, Goapele cosigned it, and now the Oakland Tribune's Dave Newhouse has written a story on Ryan. Read an excerpt below and watch and vote for Locks HERE.

It's happening quickly for Ryan Coogler, the young filmmaker from Richmond. He's been accepted at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and the Cannes Film Festival in France.

And Coogler, 22, is just in his second year at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. But you sense from his remarkable progress that his name will be linked one day with Hollywood's elite directors. His film "Locks" has that Spike Lee feel.

"Locks" was shot in Oakland and deals with African-American life in the inner city. It's one of five finalists in the Tribeca shorts program, with all five films being shown on Delta Air Lines flights through today. Plus it's accessible to view and rate online at www.delta.com/flyinmovies.

Coogler has the only student-made film in the field. His competitors are professionals, including foreigners. Complete article HERE.

The thoughtful sacrifice exhibited by Dante (the main character) in Locks is heartfelt and admirable, but I think the most interesting part of the film is the role dreadlocks play in Oakland and the greater Bay Area. There is one scene where Dante runs into a group of his friends on the block who all have locks. At that moment you see the aesthetic unity of the hair style- the prideful exhibition of something that has taken years to cultivate.
At another moment we see two men with dreads being arrested, after which Dante tucks his locks into his hood. This event conjures up a more negative side of having dreads- the police harrasment those with locks often endure.

At the films climax (which you will have to watch) you see him shedding both the positive and negative elements of dreads. But he does so for something far greater- family. There are no words in the film and no words can quite do it justice. Just please check it out and vote.

See you in NY Ryan- we're gonna do it live blood.