At 13, Gyasi Ferdinand was an innocent kid from Trinidad, living with his mom in suburban Toronto.

By 17, everything had changed. Gyasi was pulling in up to $2000 a night selling crack cocaine. The 9mm in his waistband had earned him the street name J9.

At 25, he lost it all. Four bullets from a rival dealer’s gun left Gyasi inches from death. The shooting led to a profound spiritual experience, and a personal struggle that Gyasi had never anticipated.

For Gyasi to live, J9 had to die.

Cheating Death takes us inside the mind of a man still struggling with the temptations of the street while at the same time trying to serve God. This documentary is a journey into the world of drugs, gangs and guns – a world much talked about and feared but rarely understood.

2004, 24 min 29 s

More info: http://www.onf-nfb.gc.ca/

This program belongs to the following categories:

• Documentary