It’s exciting to see all the buzz building about tonight’s theatrical release of Fruitvale Station. Now the whole country gets to see what won us over when we selected it for a Gala Screening at the 2013 LA Film Fest last month. The award-winning film from the Weinstein Company, by first-time feature filmmaker Ryan Coogler, brings cinematic grace and maturity to the tragic true story of Oscar Grant, a young African-American man, on the fateful day he was killed by Oakland’s BART transit police.

Here are three reasons to check it out:

1. Ryan Coogler
This is the emergence of a new but already seasoned visionary whose writing and directorial choices create a human portrait so real and believably complex that you actually feel like you knew Oscar Grant.

2. Social impact filmmaking
The film is an inspiring example of the way artists can use cinematic storytelling to open eyes and shift our collective consciousness.

3. The superb cast
Michael B. Jordan, Mel Diaz and Octavia Spencer bring their A games to their roles.