Filmmakers documented murder investigations in South Los Angeles

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- A new documentary on the festival circuit takes an unflinching look at what it's like to live in South Los Angeles.

The filmmakers behind "South Bureau Homicide" spent a year in the community, looking at how residents work with the Los Angeles Police Department's homicide investigators. They also had access to murder scenes and interviews with the detectives who investigate them.

"You witness quite a lot of pain in a very intimate way," said Mike Cooley, the film's co-director. "We were at real murder scenes where real peoples' lives were lost. And you see how the officers have to set that aside and get right to their investigations."

The film also talks to community activists and those who lost loved ones to gang violence in the community.

The filmmakers are looking into various distribution options for their independent documentary.