It’s exciting to see all the buzz building about tonight’s theatrical release of Fruitvale Station. Now the whole country gets to see what won us over when we selected it for a Gala Screening at the 2013 LA Film Fest last month. The award-winning film from the Weinstein Company, by first-time feature filmmaker Ryan Coogler, brings cinematic grace and maturity to the tragic true story of Oscar Grant, a young African-American man, on the fateful day he was killed by Oakland’s BART transit police. Here are three reasons to check it out:
- Ryan Coogler This is the emergence of a new but already seasoned visionary whose writing and directorial choices create a human portrait so real and believably complex that you actually feel like you knew Oscar Grant.
- Social impact filmmaking The film is an inspiring example of the way artists can use cinematic storytelling to open eyes and shift our collective consciousness.
- The superb cast Michael B. Jordan, Mel Diaz and Octavia Spencer bring their A games to their roles.
