The film “Fruitvale,†by first-time filmmaker Ryan Coogler, won the grand jury prize in the dramatic category at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Utah, the Associated Press reports.
“Fruitvale†is based on the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old who was shot and killed in a public transit station in 2009 by an officer who claimed he was resisting arrest. Firsttime filmmaker Ryan Coogler wrote and directed the dramatic narrative. Actor and filmmaker Forrest Whittaker produced the film.
“This project was about humanity, about human beings and how we treat each other; how we treat the people that we love the most, and how we treat the people that we don’t know,†the 26-year-old Coolger said as he accepted the final prize of the night.
The film also secured distribution through the Weinstein company.
Read more at the Grio.