Few movies have created the buzz that “La La Land” created. Since the “runner-up for the Oscars” movie portraits perfectly the dream of becoming a star and the struggle in the process. Along with a beautiful love story backed by an incredible soundtrack. For all of that, and because the movie showed in such a beautiful way, Los Angeles. “La La Land” has been granted an official day on it’s “native” LA.
The honor was given by the city’s mayor, Eric Garcetti, on Tuesday the 25th of April. Turning it the official “La La Land”, as the date coincided with the film’s DVD release. While Garcetti gave the honor to the movie’s director, Damien Chazelle, and its composer and producer, Justin Hurwitz, acrobatic artists suspended by ropes danced across the outside walls of City Hall.
City of stars
Eric Garcetti honored the claimed six Academy Awards winning movie. He thanked the movie for embracing the city the way it did. As it put a spotlight on various places of the city. During the ceremony beside acknowledging the director and composer of the movie, Garcetti played the piano along with a jazz ensemble, who performed a medley of songs from the film.
The “La La Land” celebration took the entire city. The love letter movie who sets Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone on the current LA, as they both try to achieve their dreams. Featuring obviously various present locations, as the festivities went from Pasadena’s Colorado Street bridge to the Hermosa Beach pier, where Gosling danced and sang “City of Stars” in the film. On Long Beach, the “Blind Donkey Bar” which was the filming location for Ryan Gosling’s jazz club, actually got a got a full-size “Seb’s” neon sign and featured live music and themed drinks from the movie.
Mayor Garcetti stated: “This film held a mirror up to our city – showing the world our passion, our creativity, our optimism, and of course, the deep-seated desire of every Angeleno to jump out of their car in traffic and to just start dancing”. He also invited every Los Angeles citizen to join the festivities in a very “La La Land” way, as he officialized the day: “You can dance safely somewhere near your car, preferably not in traffic, take a date up to Griffith Park, fall in love with somebody or just with your city all over again. Happy ‘La La Land’ Day, L.A.”.
Honoring LA
The film received a record-tying of 14 Oscar nominations. Also, it represented a major blockbuster as it was shot with a $30 million budget, and grossed around $440 million worldwide. Despite the awkward, tragic and iconic moment during the Oscars, where the movie won best picture winner before Horowitz correctly announced the actual winner “Moonlight,” the creators are cool with it now. Thanks to the support and love of the fans. They now focus on their next film and feel really happy for the honor the city of LA has granted them.
After the honor Garcetti did to the awards winning movie. Also it’s Oscar-winning director, Damien Chazelle, and its composer and producer Justin Hurwitz. Hurwitz took the chance to express how flattered they felt for it and how their attempt to show the beauty of the city have made them proud. After they posed for some pictures with the mayor.
‘You know, we started this movie from very small means. We wanted to make a love letter to a city that all of us – we were all transplants to the city – had come to love, and we wanted to do it with some kind of authenticity, without cynicism, very clear-eyed – so to be standing on the steps of City Hall six years later after having gone through the journey that we went through with this film and seeing dancers come down the side of City Hall to the songs from the picture – is incredibly surreal…’
‘There was just a real overwhelming support and kindness that I received from people in the aftermath of it that was — it was really beautiful. It reminded me what our industry can be when we are all operating at our best. Los Angeles opened her arms to this movie in an incredible way. This movie has that special magic, and the city was at the center of it. It’s very flattering for the city to embrace the movie like this. Because we were obviously embracing the city by making this movie. So to have it go the other way is very cool.” Right now the 37-year-old producer is currently working on Albuquerque, where he is working on his next film, “Fast Colour,” starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Source: telegraph.co.uk