Every year an independent film manages to transcend the film festival circuit and become the talk of the mainstream. Last year it was Beasts of the Southern Wild, and this year that film is poised to be Fruitvale Station. 
Ryan Coogler's based on real life drama about the final hours of Oscar Grant III, a young Bay Area man who was killed without cause by a local transit police officer on New Year's Day in 2009, was the toast of Sundance and the Cannes Film Festival.
In our exclusive video, lead actor Michael B. Jordan (Friday Night Lights) talks about portraying a character whose life was so similar to his own, and trusting his director, who he calls his "head coach," to take him to a difficult place so he could give the performance of his career. 
Check out the video below, and see Fruitvale Station, produced by Weinstein Company in association with BET Films, in select theaters on July 12.

Get ready for the BET Experience, featuring Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly,  Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar and many more. Go here for more details and info on how to buy tickets.

Sign up now to attend free film screenings, celebrity basketball games and more.
BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.

(photo: BET)