'' La La Land '' is a 2016 American romantic comedy-drama musical film written and directed by Damien Chazelle . It stars Ryan Gosling as a jazz pianist and Emma Stone as an aspiring actress , who meet and fall in love while pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles . Having been fond of musicals during his time as a drummer , Chazelle first conceptualised the film alongside Justin Hurwitz while attending Harvard University together . Moving to Los Angeles in 2010 , Chazelle wrote the screenplay but did not find a studio willing to finance the production without changes to his design . Following the success of his 2014 film '' Whiplash , '' the project was picked up by Summit Entertainment . Filming took place in Los Angeles from August to September 2015 , with the film 's score composed by Hurwitz and the dance choreography by Mandy Moore . '' La La Land '' premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival on August 31 , 2016 , and was released in the United States on December 9 , 2016 . It grossed $ 446 million worldwide against a production budget of $ 30 million
73rd Venice International Film Festival
73rd Venice International Film Festival
La La Land (film)