KAJ Enterprises and E1 Music will release the Avon Barksdale Story this March. The documentary presents a series of interviews and re-enactments that shed light on drug kingpin Avon Barksdale’s reign in the projects of West Baltimore. Barksdale would serve as inspiration for the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire. The show’s creator David Simon spent much of his early years as a beat reporter for the Baltimore Sun tracking Barksdale and his entourage. While Simon is glaringly absent from this documentary, Barksdale himself, his mother, and many of the kingpin’s cohorts do appear on screen. Wood Harris, who portrayed the character of Barksdale in The Wire also appears.
Though the film is decidedly low-budget and lo-fi, the interviews are telling, captivating and insightful. Aside from director’s heavy reliance on re-enactments there are few, if any missteps. At its core, The Avon Barksdale Story is a chilling, in-depth look at a slice of life far too many people overlook. Perhaps this documentary will change that.
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