Hughes brothers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Allen and Albert Hughes
Albert (left) and Allen (right) in 2009
Born	(1972-04-01) April 1, 1972 (age 53) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Other names	The Hughes Brothers
Occupation	Filmmakers
Years active	1993–present

Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes (born April 1, 1972) are American twin brothers who are famous filmmakers. They are known as the Hughes Brothers. They have directed many intense and powerful films. Some of their well-known movies include Menace II Society (1993), Dead Presidents (1995), From Hell (2001), and The Book of Eli (2010).

The brothers worked together on most of their films between 1993 and 2001. After Albert moved to Prague in 2004, they mostly worked on separate projects. The Book of Eli is the only film they have directed together since Albert moved.

Early Lives of the Hughes Brothers

The Hughes brothers were born in Detroit, Michigan. Their father was African American, and their mother, Aida, was Armenian American. Her family came from Tehran, Iran. Albert is the older twin by nine minutes. They thought they were fraternal twins (like regular siblings born at the same time), but now they think they might be identical.

Their parents divorced when the twins were two years old. When they were nine, the twins moved with their mother to Claremont, California. This town is east of Los Angeles. Their mother raised Albert and Allen by herself. She also went to school and started her own business, which was a vocational center.

Their mother supported their dream of becoming filmmakers. She gave them a video camera when they were 12. The boys spent their free time making short films. For a school assignment, a teacher suggested they make a "How To" film. They created a short movie called "How to Be a Burglar."

Working Together on Films

When Allen was 18, he had a son named Eric with singer Stevvi Alexander. This led both twins to leave high school. They started working on music videos instead. Soon, they were directing videos for popular artists like Tone Loc and Tupac Shakur.

First Feature Films

Their first full-length movie was Menace II Society in 1993. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was about young people facing challenges in their community. They made it with a budget of $3.5 million when they were only 20 years old. Tyger Williams wrote the screenplay and shared story credit with the brothers.

Menace II Society was a big success with both critics and audiences. It was even nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. Because of their experience directing music videos, they were allowed to share directing credit. This was a special permission from the Directors Guild of America.

Their second film was Dead Presidents in 1995. This movie also focused on challenges faced by people in society. It starred Larenz Tate again, and was about war veterans during the Vietnam War era. The film was shown at the New York Critics Film Festival.

In 1999, they directed American ..., a documentary film. The brothers have said that their mother, who raised them, influenced the film's viewpoint. Between their big projects, they also made several public service announcements against handgun violence.

Later Collaborations

In 2001, the Hughes brothers co-directed From Hell. This film was different from their earlier work. It was based on a graphic novel about the Jack the Ripper murders in Victorian England. The movie starred Johnny Depp and Heather Graham.

Some critics thought the film was too intense. Parts of it had to be changed so it could be shown to a wider audience. The film's star, Johnny Depp, mentioned that the twins sometimes had different ideas about the movie. For example, they disagreed on how much violence should be shown. One brother wanted to show the brutality, while the other thought it should only be suggested.

Their only film together since From Hell in 2001 was The Book of Eli. This was a post-apocalyptic drama released in January 2010.

The brothers were also considered to direct a film version of the classic TV series Kung Fu. In 2010, it was announced they would direct a live-action movie based on the 1988 manga Akira. However, they left that project in 2011.

When Albert and Allen work together, Allen usually works with the actors. Albert focuses on the technical parts of filmmaking. This comes from his experience studying at Los Angeles City College's film school.

Solo Projects

After 2001, Albert and Allen Hughes started working on more individual projects.

Allen Hughes' Solo Work

Allen directed a few episodes of the TV series Touching Evil. His brother, Albert, was an executive producer for that show. Allen also directed the 2005 TV movie Knights of the South Bronx.

In 2009, Allen directed a part of the film New York, I Love You. This segment starred Drea De Matteo and Bradley Cooper.

Allen Hughes directed the 2013 crime thriller film Broken City. It starred Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe. In 2017, he directed The Defiant Ones. This was a four-part HBO documentary miniseries about music producers Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre.

Albert Hughes' Solo Work

In 2005, it was announced that Albert would direct a film called Art Con. However, no more news about this project was reported.

In December 2012, Albert Hughes announced he would produce an online video series. It used the Crysis 3 game engine and was called The 7 Wonders of Crysis 3.

In 2018, Albert Hughes directed his first solo feature film, Alpha. Daniele Sebastian Wiedenhaupt wrote the film, based on a story by Hughes. The film received good reviews from critics.

Personal Lives

The Hughes brothers are known for being very direct. They have had some disagreements, including one with rapper Tupac Shakur in 1994. This happened during a music video shoot. Tupac was supposed to star in Menace II Society, but he was replaced after the incident. It seems he didn't like the role they had chosen for him.

Allen has a son named Eric with singer Stevvi Alexander. Eric was born when Allen was in high school. Albert has a daughter named Adrienne. Albert has lived in Prague since 2004.

In 2013, Albert spoke about his relationship with Allen. He said, "I think the relationship is just much more complex now than it used to be. We love each other, and in the end we're still the best of friends. We're the only people we're going to call [when stressful things happen] but we're kind of in a weird dance right now."

Filmography

Solo Works

Allen Hughes

Albert Hughes