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Sundance Awards Taken by Oakland Cineaste and Story by Doniphan Blair
Oscar Grant, played by Michael B. Jordan, encounters cops in a new film about his life by Oaklander Ryan Coogler. photo: courtesy R. Coogler
Writer-director Ryan Coogler's first feature, "Fruitvale", took both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in a stunning upset at the Sundance Film Festival, the indie-oriented but often fast-track to Hollywood venue, which finished up January 27 in Park City, Utah.
Admittedly, the 26 year-old Coogler, who is from Oakland, is already familiar with the LA scene, having graduated from USC’s prestigious School for Cinematic Arts and mounted “Fruitvale” with the help of actor Forest Whittaker and his production company Significant Productions.
The movie is about Oscar Grant, a 22 year-old father and former pot dealer, who was shot in the back while lying on the ground in the first few hours of 2009. His killer, BART officer Johannes Mehserle, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, triggering protests and minor rioting in Oakland. After serving two years in Los Angeles, while sequestered from the other prisoners for his protection, he was released in June 2011.
“Fruitvale” stars Michael B. Jordan, who has appeared in the television shows “Parenthood”, “Friday Night Lights” and “The Wire,” and features Octavia Spencer, who took home an Academy Award for last year's "The Help". It will be distributed by the Weinstein Company, which acquired the rights after a surprisingly aggressive bidding war which reached two million. They hope it will follow in the footsteps of “Precious” (2009) which also won Sundance's Grand and Audience awards and went on to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar .
Ryan Coogler accepting his awards at the recently completed Sundance Film Festival. photo: courtesy Sundance
A “very, very good, naturalistic and emotional recounting [that] sometimes leans a little heavy on [Grant’s] best traits,” wrote Katey Rich on Cinema Blend.com, although she admitted she “was shaking by the end of ‘Fruitvale’, holding back tears and alive with anger.”
“The film is a gritty portrayal of the last day in the life of Oscar Grant,” summarized Sean Means of the Salt Lake Tribune, who also recounted that Coogler gave thanks to the Bay Area, "where Oscar Grant lived, breathed, slept, loved, and survived for 22 years,” in his awards acceptance speech.
Coogler also thanked the Sundance Institute and its Filmmakers Lab which assisted his efforts, noting the valuable relationships he established there with other young directors.
Coogler almost brought the Sundance crowd to tears when he said, “At the end of the day, when I first started doing this project, it was about humanity, about how we treat each other, how we treat the people we love.” For this reason, it focused not only on Grant’s last day but his relations to his friends and family.
Jordan as Oscar Grant enjoying quality time with his daughter. photo: courtesy R. Coogler
Those themes seem to continue the complexity of Coogler’s thesis film for USC, “Locks”, which concerns Rasta identity and police and gang problems. Its sophisticate mix of moody shots, deep character depiction and a twist ending highlights an ambiguity particular to Oakland and any film movement it might engender.
"Locks" was also filmed in Oakland, some scenes just a few blocks from CineSource’s office. Although this magazine attempted through the various avenues to contact the “Fruitvale” team, to get their take on the Oakland film and its filming experience, it was unable to do so.
But in the hardball and chance-filled realms of finishing a film and shepherding it to the highest-level film festival premiere possible, "Mum's the word" is a common practice. Hopefully that will change now that “Fruitvale” has premiered. We look forward to hearing their story and using it to encourage Oakland filmmaking.