The Hughes Brothers

Born: 1st April 1972
Where: Detroit, Michigan

Twins Albert and Allen Hughes moved to Pomona, California with their mother when they were 9-years-old.

They became interested in filmmaking at age 12 when their mother lent them a video camera, and the brothers began making their own little movies.

When a teacher suggested that they make a "how to" film for an assignment, they complied with How to Be a Burglar, and soon people began to take notice.

They eventually had their films aired on US cable TV, which introduced them to a wider audience and snared them an agent.

After high school Albert began taking classes at Los Angeles City College Film School, and after two shorts the twins' reputation as innovative filmmakers was established.

They soon managed to raise enough money to produce and direct their first feature, Menace II Society, which made it's world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and grossed nearly 10 times as much as its $3m budget.

This surprising success resulted in them signing a two-picture, three-year deal with Disney's Caravan Productions.

The Hughes showed an unusually high interest in the aural qualities of their work, paying great attention to sound design, background scoring and song selection.

The brothers executive produced the soundtrack for Menace II Society With and soon set up Underworld Records, their own rap/rhythm & blues label, at Capitol Records in 1993.

Their second feature, Dead Presidents, was soon followed with the feature-length documentary American Pimp, and period thriller, From Hell, starring Johnny Depp and Heather Graham.