G-Dog

“In an era with a paucity of real heroes, a genuine one emerges in ‘G-DOG’.” — Variety

“Easily one of the most inspirational and uplifting documentaries of the year” —Hot Docs

“Nothing stops a bullet like a job.” This is the story of a remarkable odd couple. There’s “G-Dog,” aka Father Greg Boyle or Father G, a white Jesuit priest who’s spent some 25 years in the toughest part of East LA, and then there’s the tough, street-smart, and amazingly sweet young people – all former gang members – whom G-Dog loves and helps, and who love him in turn. For Father Greg’s remedy for what he calls "a global sense of failure" for kids at-risk is radical and simple: boundless, restorative love.

Cinedigm is debuting Oscar®-winning director Freida Mock’s award-winning G-DOG in conjunction with the company’s new 7-film, 7-week theatrical DOCURAMA film series, launching April 22 in theaters nationwide. The film, which has become an audience favorite at film festivals around the world, first premiered in April 2012 at Toronto's Hots Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, followed by its U.S. premiere in June at the Los Angeles Film Festival. G-DOG has been selected by the U.S. State Department to represent the States at U.S. embassies around the world as part of its 2013 American Film Showcase.

Gang violence rocked Los Angeles in the 90s, dubbed the “Decade of Death,” and Father Greg was astonished to find teenagers planning their funerals and not the future. He founded Homeboy Industries in 1992 as home to social enterprises that provide job training and comprehensive free services for those seeking employment and a path out of gang life. It is now the nation’s largest and most successful gang intervention and rehab program and an international model, with a 70% success rate in turning kids away from
gang life and toward a productive future.

Father Greg Boyle is the author of the New York Times Bestselling book, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion and has received numerous honorary degrees, awards and recognitions including the Civic Medal of Honor, the California Peace Prize, and Humanitarian of the Year from Bon Appetit Magazine. He was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2011.

G-DOG chronicles a tough year at Homeboy Industries. 2010 was rife with tumult, change and pain. The company faced a bruising battle with the bottom line: we watch as one day Father Greg makes the difficult decision to shut down parts of business. It’s a crushing blow but it gets worse. Two people we’ve seen early in the movie are killed by the time the credits roll. The question is: will the homies and Homeboy itself survive?