Actor Hosea Chanchez makes his directorial debut with “Ruth,” a film scripted by Cru Ennis.

A project that Chanchez says he’s been developing for the past nine years, and which he also stars in, “Ruth” follows single father James Jones, who is struggling to raise his teenage daughter Ruth, an aspiring ballerina, in economically depressed Detroit. Ruth’s mother, Paula, was killed in front of her when she was younger, forcing James to become her primary caregiver, eventually making an unthinkable choice in an effort to right his wrongs and provide a better life for his daughter – a single choice that changes the path of his life forever.




Chanchez says he’s “poetically passionate about” the film’s core subject matter: the relationship between a father and his daughter, stating: “‘Ruth’ is the story of a single father struggling to survive in the worst living conditions in America. ‘Ruth’ is set in the heart of Detroit which, in some ways, resembles a third world country. We focus on the love that’s buried under the gunshots, poverty, homelessness and lack of resources in what was once the heart beat of America… Detroit. We uncover a fourteen year old girl in the ghetto, with dreams of being a dancer. And due to the poverty, murders and hopelessness that has become a way of life in Detroit, we discover a single father who has lost his will to dream, lost his hope in the system and lost his way as a father. These complexe and compelling characters are the reason I chose ‘Ruth’ as my first feature.”

Zada Luby plays Ruth; and Naturi Naughton also co-stars in the film.

No ETA at this time, but Chanchez has released an almost 6-minute early promo for the upcoming film, which is embedded below: