<P> La La Land is a 2016 American musical romantic comedy - drama 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 in Los Angeles while pursuing their dreams . The film's title refers simultaneously to music, the city of Los Angeles, and to the idiom for being out of touch with reality . </P> <P> Chazelle wrote the screenplay in 2010 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 from August to September 2015 in Los Angeles . La La Land was 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 $445 million worldwide on a production budget of $30 million . </P> <P> La La Land received critical acclaim . Critics praised Chazelle's screenplay and direction, Gosling and Stone's performances, Justin Hurwitz's score, and the film's musical numbers . It won in every category for which it was nominated at the 74th Golden Globe Awards, with a record - breaking seven wins, and received 11 nominations at the 70th British Academy Film Awards, winning five . It received 14 nominations at the 89th Academy Awards, tying the record for most nominations with All About Eve (1950) and Titanic (1997), and won six Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Actress (Stone), Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Song ("City of Stars"), and Best Production Design . </P> <P> While stuck in traffic on a Los Angeles highway ("Another Day of Sun"), Mia Dolan, an aspiring actress, has a moment of road rage with Sebastian Wilder, a struggling jazz pianist . After a bad day at work, her subsequent audition goes poorly when the casting director takes a call in the middle of an emotional scene . That night, Mia's roommates take her to a lavish party in the Hollywood Hills, where Mia hopes for a breakthrough ("Someone in the Crowd"). She walks home after her car is towed . </P>

Who wrote the score for la la land