Alex Ranarivelo is a French filmmaker known for his sports dramas.

Early life

He was born into a French- Malagasy family in Saint-Jean-d'Angely,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. His great-grandfather, a Malagasy man, married his great-grandmother, a white woman, in 1910. His family's history would later inspire him to direct several films based around race such as ''Dirt'' and ''The Ride''. Ranarivelo moved to the United States when he was 6 years old. He studied film at the

Art Center College of Design The ArtCenter College of Design is a private art college in Pasadena, California. It was incorporated in 1930 as a degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the visual arts and design. ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

Career

After making his feature film debut with the rough-and-tumble

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

from a male perspective ''Alpha Males Experiment'' (aka ''Knuckle Draggers''), Ranarivelo was hired to direct the action film ''Born to Race'', which he co-wrote with fellow Art Center alum Steven Sarno. When producer Ali Afshar and executive producer Forrest Lucas created ESX Entertainment, Ranarivelo was brought on to direct their first film, the suspenseful, character-driven ''The Dog Lover'' (starring

James Remar William James Remar (born December 31, 1953) is an American actor. He has played numerous roles over a 45-year career, most notably Ajax in '' The Warriors'' (1979), Albert Ganz in '' 48 Hrs.'' (1982), Dutch Schultz in '' The Cotton Club'' (198 ...

Lea Thompson Lea Katherine Thompson (born May 31, 1961) is an American actress, singer, dancer and director. She is best known for her roles as Lorraine Baines-McFly in the ''Back to the Future'' film trilogy (1985–1990), Beverly Switzler in ''Howard t ...

, and Sherry Stringfield). Next came '' American Wrestler: The Wizard'', which follows a 17-year-old Iranian refugee who becomes the high school wrestling champion against adversity during the

Iran hostage crisis The Iran hostage crisis () began on November 4, 1979, when 66 Americans, including diplomats and other civilian personnel, were taken hostage at the Embassy of the United States in Tehran, with 52 of them being held until January 20, 1981. Th ...

of 1980. In this period piece, Ranarivelo directed

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William Fichtner William Edward Fichtner (born November 27, 1956) is an American actor. Born in New York, he started his career with supporting appearances in '' Virtuosity'' (1994), ''Heat'' and '' Strange Days'' (both 1995). A prolific character actor in film, ...

and discovered newcomers George Kosturos and

Lia Marie Johnson Lia Marie Johnson (born November 23, 1996) is an American internet personality, actress, and singer. She first received recognition for her work on YouTube, rising to fame for creating skits and song covers, and for her appearances in the Fine ...

. The film won multiple awards on the festival circuit including "Best Picture" and "Best Ensemble" at the

Boston Film Festival Boston Film Festival (BFF) is an annual film festival held in Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It has been held annually since 1984, usually in early September. The Boston Film Festival premiered such notable films as '' The Last Kiss'' ...

, the audience award at the

Austin Film Festival Austin Film Festival (AFF), founded in 1994, is an organization in Austin, Texas, that focuses on writers' creative contributions to film. Initially, AFF was called the Austin Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference and functioned to launch the c ...

and the audience award at the Napa Film Festival. Next came '' Running Wild'', where Ranarivelo was at the helm of drama about a California Ranch socialite poised to lose everything who creates a Prison Rehabilitation Equine Program after finding starving wild horses on her property. The film stars

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and film producer. Known for primarily playing femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the ...

, Dorian Brown and Jason Lewis. In October 2015, Ranarivelo directed

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...

and Paul Rodriguez in '' Pray for Rain'', a murder mystery set against the backdrop of the Central California drought. A young girl begins to investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding her father's death and discovers that the idyllic farm community of her youth has been replaced by crime and desperation. The films stars

Annabelle Stephenson Annabelle Stephenson (born 12 April 1988) is an English-born Australian actress. She began her career playing Miriam Kent in '' H2O: Just Add Water''. After graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Stephenson moved to Los Angeles, ...

and

Nicholas Gonzalez Nicholas Edward Gonzalez is an American actor. He is best known for portraying the roles of Alex Santiago on the Showtime television series '' Resurrection Blvd'', Dr. Ben Douglas in Anacondas (2004) and Dr. Neil Melendez on the ABC television ...

. Ranarivelo returned to the motorsports world for ''Dirt'', his fifth movie with ESX Entertainment. ''Dirt'' is about a weathered race team owner (

Kevin Dillon Kevin Brady Dillon (born August 19, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Johnny "Drama" Chase on the HBO comedy series '' Entourage'', Bunny in the war film ''Platoon'', and John Densmore in the musical biopic ''The Doo ...

) who can't quite get his team to gel when he is asked to take on a kid from the hood that needs a work furlough to avoid jail time. He reluctantly agrees and the unlikely pair create quite a stir in the

redneck ''Redneck'' is a derogatory term mainly applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the southern United States.Harold Wentworth, and Stuart Berg Flexner, ''Dictionary of American ...

sport of short course off-road truck racing. Ranarivelo also directed ''The Ride'', about a troubled boy from a

Neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

family who is sent to a juvenile detention center after stabbing his dad and ends up being fostered by an interracial couple. The film is based on the true story of Scottish BMX rider John Buultjens.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranarivelo, Alex Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American film editors Film directors from California American male screenwriters ArtCenter College of Design alumni French emigrants to the United States French film directors French film editors French screenwriters French people of Malagasy descent