Hollywood Black Film Festival 2009

BLUE is a gritty, urban drama about professional boxer set in the city landscapes of New York. Gary "Blue" Meekins struggles against unusually high obstacles to turn his hopeless life into that of the American dream. As an adolescent growing up in the crime riddled streets of Harlem and losing both parents in a violent murder, Blue became a survivor by any means necessary. After going through a series of financial woes, Blue runs into two of his old childhood acquaintances, CHIP and DUTCH, who are now hardcore criminals. CHIP and DUTCH offer Blue a part in a robbery of a supposed neighborhood drug dealer. During the robbery, Blue realizes he has been fooled into robbing an innocent family. The end is so tragic that the events haunt Blue and lead him to give up his life of crime and return to his childhood boxing gym and longtime trainer/mentor CHINA BANKS. While Blue struggles in the fight game, he is suddenly laid off from work and his longtime girlfriend CRYSTAL, decides she has had enough of Blue's short sighted dream of becoming a boxing champion, and leaves him. Now, Blue focuses even more on boxing and training. During this time, he meets a troubled neighbor, CARMEN VASQUEZ. Carmen is coming out of an abusive relationship and she has a serious drug problem. However, Blue sees something more than the abused, insecure girl with low self esteem. Through their own struggles, a bond grows between them. Their relationship starts to blossom. After months of hard training with CHINA, Blue is still having trouble getting fights. With financial difficulties mounting, Blue reluctantly confides in his only known relative, COURTNEY BROWN, a charismatic street hustler who lives life on the edge and always has some sort of dangerous, high-risk scheme. Courtney continuously offers Blue various opportunities to make money illegally, which Blue rejects. Constantly resisting Courtney's offers, Blue defies China's wishes and jumps at the opportunity to fight his nemesis JULIAN MOORE, which he loses by a very controversial decision. After the loss, Blue's finds himself deeper into financial hardship. Finally, after finding an eviction notice, Blue finds it more and more difficult to reject Courtney's offers of "Easy money". After a long and painful struggle, Carmen finally overcomes her drug addiction and finally starts to find peace within herself. She lands a job at the local community center, where she bonds with underprivileged kids through her love of poetry and writing. At this time, Blue's boxing career, under China's watchful eye, starts to take a turn for the better. After a string of successful fights the money begins to roll in. After a long struggle, Blue finally gets a shot at the middle weight title. His dream has become reality. Blue and Carmen's lives are on an upswing when tragedy strikes. Carmen and Blue relationship is ripped apart. Blue tries to maintain his focus on his upcoming fight. China knows there is something wrong and stands by his fighter like a father. Only time will tell if Blue and Carmen can ever mend their relationship or if Blue will be up to the fight of his life. The determination of one man will lead to redemption at all cost. The race is not won by the swift or the strong, but by the one who endures until the end. Fight or die. BLUE.