“Sorry to Bother You” is His First Film After 25 years in Music
Riley wrote the screenplay in 2011 not knowing how to get it made. He thought if he could raise a nominal amount of money he could make it with his friends on a tight budget. His big break was when he become a Sundance Fellow, going through both the screenwriter’s lab and the director’s lab.
Taking meetings with great screenwriters and directors who had read his work gave him the specific vision and helped earn further connections in the film industry. Through the director’s lab he was able to shoot rough cuts of a few scenes, and off that footage he was able to raise the money to make his movie. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, and from there was purchased by Annapurna Pictures for a wide release.
Previously, Riley’s only official credits as a director were music videos, including The Coup’s “Me And Jesus The Pimp In a ’79 Grenada Last Night” off the album “Steal This Album.”
