Hurricane Streets is a 1997

1997 in film

-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...

 American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 coming-of-age drama

Drama film

A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...

 which was the debut feature film from writer-director Morgan J. Freeman

Morgan J. Freeman

Morgan J. Freeman is an American film director. In 1997, his debut feature, Hurricane Streets, became the first narrative film to win three awards at the Sundance Film Festival...

 (not to be confused with actor Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...

). The film won the Audience, Best Director, and Best Cinematography Awards at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...

—the first film ever to win three awards at the festival. It was released by MGM and stars Brendan Sexton III

Brendan Sexton III

Brendan Eugene Sexton III is an American actor.-Career:Born in Staten Island, New York, Sexton made his film debut in Todd Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse playing the troubled bully Brandon McCarthy, for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award...

 and Edie Falco

Edie Falco

Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...

.

Plot

Fourteen-year old Marcus (Sexton) is growing up in a rough part of New York City. His father is dead, and his mother languishes in prison for murder. He lives with his grandmother, whose work as a bartender gives Marcus a lot of unsupervised time to hang out with other teens. The teens spend their time doing mischief and petty crimes such as stealing CDs and running shoes. Before long, the teens plan more serious crimes. Marcus' friend Melena (Isidra Vega), who also grew up in a rough, abusive home, tries to steer Marcus away from the path to crime.