American Fiction (film)

American Fiction
Admidst the letters of the title, spread over four lines, five African American characters from the movie pose in different attire.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCord Jefferson
Screenplay byCord Jefferson
Based onErasure
by Percival Everett
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyCristina Dunlap
Edited byHilda Rasula
Music byLaura Karpman
Production
companies
Distributed byOrion Pictures (through Amazon MGM Studios)
Release dates
  • September 8, 2023 (2023-09-08) (TIFF)
  • December 15, 2023 (2023-12-15) (United States)
Running time
117 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million[2]
Box office$23 million[3][4]

American Fiction is a 2023 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cord Jefferson in his feature directorial debut. Based on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett, it follows a frustrated African-American novelist-professor who writes an outlandish satire of stereotypical "Black" books, only for it to be mistaken for serious literature and published to high sales and critical praise. The film stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody and Keith David.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023, where it won the People's Choice Award. It received a limited theatrical release by Amazon MGM Studios on December 15, 2023, with an expansion on December 22, 2023.

The film grossed $23 million and received numerous accolades. It was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the American Film Institute. It also received five nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Wright, with Jefferson winning Best Adapted Screenplay.

  1. ^ "American Fiction (15)". British Board of Film Classification. November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023. 116m 35s
  2. ^ Salisbury, Mark (December 26, 2023). "How a 'huge professional failure' led debut director Cord Jefferson to 'American Fiction'". www.screendaily.com. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "American Fiction". The Numbers. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  4. ^ "American Fiction". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 14, 2024.