Former NFL star Marshawn Lynch is premiering the first film from his Beast Mode Productions at the Oakland Film Festival’s Grand Lake Theater Thursday night — and it’s all about his home city.
“A Hundred Blocks,” which features a cast and crew drawn entirely from the Bay Area’s film scene, follows the life of Jaleel, a young man trying to find his way in Oakland, California, as his life — and those of his friends and family members — become increasingly entangled with the city’s police department and political leaders.
The black-and-white trailer doesn’t hold back, including scenes of crack cocaine being cooked up and plenty of gunfire. It also doesn’t shy away from the often-grim reality for so many of the city’s residents — which Lynch and his production team wanted to highlight.
“We are beyond excited for the premiere of this thought-provoking film that we believe will have a great impact on the community of Oakland, as well as other communities throughout the country,” director and producer Diaunte Thompson said in a statement.
The idea for the movie came about in 2012, when Thompson and writer/producer Arthur Walls started discussing the “Hundred Blocks” plan in Oakland (referring to a plan by former mayor Jean Quan to focus on the 100 most violent blocks in the city), which they’d seen on the news.
They engaged producer and director of photography Mike Revolvalcke and co-producer Lathan Hodge to produce a movie “that could showcase the real Oakland.” The producers also wanted to show how things may change — but patterns remain, and the cycle continues, as people either try to change or just get out.
Lynch is a former All-Pro running back who played nine years in the NFL, winning Super Bowl XLVIII as a member of the Seattle Seahawks before announcing his retirement on Feb. 7, 2016, via Twitter. He now reportedly in talks with the Oakland Raiders and several other teams about making a comeback.
“It’s a movie y’all!” he said in the statement. “Yes Lawd.”
Watch the trailer above.