South of Pico is a 2007 character-driven drama film written and directed by Ernst Gossner

Ernst Gossner

Ernst Gossner is an Austrian film director, screenwriter and producer best known for writing and directing the 2007 film South of Pico.-Background:Gossner grew up in Tirol and had his first stage appearance at the age of 15...

 set in Los Angeles.

Plot

Four strangers witness an unimaginable tragedy and are catapulted into the defining moment of their lives. Set in present day in Los Angeles, a chauffeur, a waitress, a doctor and a young boy each deal with life’s daily challenges, only to find themselves at the scene of an accident the moment it happens. Riding on emotional overload, the balance of life rests in their hands. The film stars Kip Pardue

Kip Pardue

Kevin Ian "Kip" Pardue is an American actor and model, best known for his roles in the films Remember the Titans, Driven, The Rules of Attraction, and Thirteen....

, Gina Torres

Gina Torres

Gina Torres is an American television and movie actress. She is known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy. She has appeared in many television series, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , Xena: Warrior Princess , the short-lived Cleopatra 2525, as well as Alias , Firefly Gina...

, Henry Simmons

Henry Simmons

Henry Oswald Simmons, Jr. is an American actor.-Life and career:Simmons was born in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Aurelia, a school teacher, and Henry Simmons, Sr., an IRS agent. He is one of three children, including his twin sister, and another sister...

, Christina Hendricks

Christina Hendricks

Christina Rene Hendricks is an actress known for her role as Joan Holloway in the AMC cable television series Mad Men, and as Saffron in Fox's short-lived series Firefly. Hendricks was named "the sexiest woman in the world" in 2010 in a poll of female readers taken by Esquire magazine.-Personal...

, Jimmy Bennett

Jimmy Bennett

James Michael "Jimmy" Bennett is an American actor and musician. He is known for his roles as a child actor in Daddy Day Care, Hostage, Poseidon, and more recently in Orphan and as young James T. Kirk in Star Trek...

 and Car'ynn Sims. It was shot in Los Angeles and premiered at the American Black Film Festival

American Black Film Festival

The American Black Film Festival is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on works by Black members of the film industry. It has been called “the nation’s most prominent film festival.” The festival is held annually and features full-length narratives, short films, mobile...

 in October 2007.

Awards

• American Black Film Festival
  American Black Film Festival
  The American Black Film Festival is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on works by Black members of the film industry. It has been called “the nation’s most prominent film festival.” The festival is held annually and features full-length narratives, short films, mobile...
  
   - 2007, Grand Jury Award - Best Picture
• American Black Film Festival
  American Black Film Festival
  The American Black Film Festival is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on works by Black members of the film industry. It has been called “the nation’s most prominent film festival.” The festival is held annually and features full-length narratives, short films, mobile...
  
   - 2007, Grand Jury Award - Best Actor for Henry Simmons
• American Black Film Festival
  American Black Film Festival
  The American Black Film Festival is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on works by Black members of the film industry. It has been called “the nation’s most prominent film festival.” The festival is held annually and features full-length narratives, short films, mobile...
  
   - 2007, Red Star Award for Originality, Innovation and Vision for Ernst Gossner
• Pan African Film Festival - 2008, First Feature Competition - Best Director
• Drehbuchverband Austria - 2008, Thomas Pluch Screenplay Award
• International Innsbruck Film Festival - 2008, Audience Award
• International Beijing Film Festival - 2008, Best Picture

Trivia

South of Pico was shot all over Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

. The story is inspired by a fatal road rage incident in Chicago 2003. A similar case happened in 2007 in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

.