The Business
How 'La La Land' went from constant rejection to awards contention
Writer-director Damien Chazelle and composer Justin Hurwitz have been friends and collaborators since first meeting at Harvard. Together, they struggled for years to make an original movie-musical. Now, their film La La Land is up for a record-tying 14 Oscar nominations.
By Kim Masters • • 28m ListenSure, director Damien Chazelle's La La Land is a hit now with 14 Oscar nominations. But in the beginning, his dream of making an original musical seemed like it might be too crazy a gamble. Chazelle and his long-time friend and collaborator, composer Justin Hurwitz, tell us how they fought through setbacks to make one of this year's most formidable awards contenders.
Photo: La La Land director Damien Chazelle (L) and composer Justin Hurwitz at the film's premiere.
In this episode
2 storiesHollywood news banter
Matt Belloni, executive editor of the Hollywood Reporter joins Kim Masters to discuss top entertainment news stories of the week.
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La La Land tells the very Hollywood story of a romance between aspiring actress Mia, played by Emma Stone, and Ryan Gosling's Sebastian, a jazz musician who dreams of running his own nightclub.
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