Interview: Ryan Coogler Talks 'Fruitvale Station', Doing Justice to Oscar Grant, and Trayvon Martin

It's rare that a film makes the impact of Ryan Coogler's heart-wrenching Fruitvale Station, a fact-based story on the final day in the life of Oscar Grant, an African-American man who was shot and killed by transit police in the San Francisco bay area. Taking home both the Grand Jury and Audience awards for Drama, proving it appealed to both casual moviegoers and critics, the film definitely struck a nerve, and a fierce bidding war broke out for the potential Oscar contender. While most of the attention has gone to the remarkable performance by Michael B. Jordan in the lead, it was the 26-year-old Coogler who put his heart and soul into the project. Not only is it a love letter to his bay area roots, but the film arrives at a dicey time for race relations in this country.

I had a chance to sit down and talk with Coogler about Fruitvale Station, the struggle to get the film made, and how closely Oscar Grant's story relates to the Trayvon Martin case.

Listen to internet radio with Cinema Royale on BlogTalkRadio