Debuting at Sundance at the start of the year, Fruitvale Station – then screening under the name Fruitvale – instantly became a contender for the awards season at the end of the year, only further bolstered by its acquisition by The Weinstein Company.
Based on a true story, the film was initially expected to be released in the height of the awards season in October this year, but was shifted to a summer release in a surprise move from TWC. With the film heading to Cannes this month, and its July US release date not far off, the powerful first trailer has debuted over on Yahoo Movies.
Oscar Grant was a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who loved his friends, was generous to strangers, and had a hard time telling the truth to the mother of his beautiful daughter. He was scared and courageous and charming and raw, and as human as the community he was part of. That community paid attention to him, shouted on his behalf, and filmed him with their cell phones when BART officers, who were strong, intimidated, and acting in the way they thought they were supposed to behave around people like Oscar, shot him in cold blood at the Fruitvale subway stop on New Year’s Day in 2009.
Michael B. Jordan takes the lead as Oscar Grant, and stars alongside Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, Ahna O’Reilly, Kevin Durand, and Chad Michael Murray.
Ryan Coogler makes what has been described as one of the most memorable feature debuts, directing here from his own script.
The film won Coogler the Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category at Sundance, as well as winning the Audience Award for Coogler. And with substantial critical praise surrounding Jordan’s performance, as well, the film remains a contender for the Oscars early next year.
Fruitvale Station is set to begin a limited release in the US on July 12th. No word as of yet on a UK release date, but we’re hoping that it will be given a full theatrical release a little later in the year, because this is definitely one not to be missed.
