Im a money player.
There was the standing ovation at the MARC Theater in Park City.
There were the hugs and tears from Grants family members who attended the premiere.
Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Grey Goose
More handshakes and business cards.
More money players circling though the movie had already sold to The Weinstein Company.
Coogler sat down with EW to discuss the effusive reception toFruitvaleand his whirlwind week at Sundance.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When Oscar Grant was shot in 2009, where were you?
RYAN COOGLER:I was home for Christmas break from USC.
I was working security at a rave called Sea of Dreams in San Francisco.
I was just working the door for extra money.
He had no gun on him and the cops shot him.
I was like, Thats crazy.
And by the time I got home, maybe like 10 a.m., he had already passed away.
It was already all over the internet.
Thats something you have to learn.
Because the wrong move could get you shot.
Have you been in that situation yourself?
Its unfortunate, but yeah.
Did that have any impact on your production?
These things keep happening.
So many people have died in similar circumstances to Oscars, its crazy.
The thing that made Oscars death different was that people recorded it.
So many people get killed like this, and nobodys there to witness it.
So it becomes an officers word against someone whos dead.
So for me, it was always an issue of me getting this project out there sooner than later.
But when Trayvon was killed, that was devastating.
It didnt accelerate the process, but it definitely made it more immediate for people who were involved.
When the movie premiered on Saturday night, it ended up receiving a standing ovation.
What do you remember?
There was a good energy in there.
That was the first time we watched it with an audience.
I sat right behind them and we all went through those emotions again and I talked to them afterwards.
They were a little emotionally spent, but they spoke positively about the film.
Thats something Ill carry with me forever.
The day after the screening, did it feel like your life had changed?
There was definitely a sense of a milestone being hit.
I didnt sleep that night, which kind of helped.
The energy was so crazy I couldnt sleep.
The day before, I was kind of a filmmaker, you know what I mean?
But the next day, I was married to it.
This is what Im going to be doing.
This is what Im going to be seen as.
I can only assume youre getting a lot of advice all of a sudden.
I wish I was.
I have an incredible team friends from USC, my family and fiancee and people are here for me.
What was that experience like from your point of view?
I wasnt involved with the numbers and the hard deals.
It was very moving for me as a filmmaker and as a film lover.
Was there one particular Sundance moment that youll remember most?
Ive had a few.
Talking to[Sundances] Michelle Satterafter our premiere and getting her approval.
Oscars family coming to Utah to see the film.
Ill take that to my grave.
Even reading my first bad review was an awesome experience.
It was cool because you make something and not everybodys going to like it.
I felt like that kind of grew me up a little bit into a professional.
I was a student filmmaker and no one writes reviews about student films.
Have you been able to see many of the other films?
No, but Ive been fortunate enough to see ones from the filmmakers I knew from the Sundance labs.
I met Jordan Voft-Roberts, who madeToys Houseand watched his film.
You feel a part of this community that you just know is going to change American cinema.
you could just feel it in your bones.
You feel like you have something to contribute to it.
Once I get back to the Bay Area, home base, I cant wait to get cracking.
Im still not sure what its going to be.
But aside from film, Im working on a graphic novel right now and also a young adult novel.
One last crucial question, how many points are the 49ers going to win by in the Super Bowl?
Now, thats a great question.
Because I have two little brothers, and its very difficult for younger brothers to beat big brothers.
Ill be rooting for them.
Read more:
Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer talk Fruitvale
Sundance 2013 Deal Report
