Cabrini on the Screen

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on May 25, 2006 7:43PM

NBC-5 reports that three men shot a film that attempts to show what life is really like in the Cabrini Green housing project.

Shot over a period of five years from 2001 to 2006, the film shows images of violence, police confrontations and rhyme battles in addition to remembrances of friends who have died. The Chicago Housing Authroity objects to the film’s content on the grounds that it portrays only the gang activity within the area and is not how the majority of its residents live. The CHA “also said they do not condone guns, drugs or violence.” Um, yeah. Thanks for clearing that up.

NBC reports the film is titled “Cabrini Heat.” But Chicagoist found the trailer here under the title “Gangsta City.” The company that made the film is called Cash Carter Films, under the banner of Cabrini Heat Entertainment (according to this MySpace page, which also calls the film “Gangsta City”).

The site for the film reprints the history of the Cabrini Green project from Wikipedia, offers an online tour of the buildings and lists almost 150 names of deceased residents of the community.

For other views of Cabrini, check out this post from Jennifer Roche at Chicago Metrobloggers or Warner Saunders's 1980 series on the area.