Alex Ranarivelo

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. 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 in Pasadena, California.

Career After making his feature film debut with the rough-and-tumble romantic comedy 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, Lea Thompson, 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 of 1980. In this period piece, Ranarivelo directed Jon Voight, William Fichtner and discovered newcomers George Kosturos and Lia Marie Johnson. The film won multiple awards on the festival circuit including "Best Picture" and "Best Ensemble" at the Boston Film Festival, the audience award at the Austin Film Festival 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, Dorian Brown and Jason Lewis.

In October 2015, Ranarivelo directed Jane Seymour 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suspicious circumstances surrounding her father's death and discovers that the idyllic farm community of her youth has been replaced by crime and desperation.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 and Nicholas Gonzalez.

Ranarivelo returned to the motorsports world for Dirt, his fifth movie with ESX Entertainment. Dirt is about a weathered race team owner (Kevin Dillon) 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 sport of short course off-road truck racing.

Ranarivelo also directed The Ride, about a troubled boy from a Neo-Nazi 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 Year Title Functioned as Notes Director Editor Screenwriter 2009 Alpha Males Experiment Directorial debut 2011 Born to Race 2012 Ultimate Armored Car: The Presidential Beast Staged TV series, 1 episode 2014 Born to Race: Fast Track 2016 American Wrestler: The Wizard The Dog Lover 2017 Running Wild Pray for Rain 2018 Dirt The Ride 2019 Bennett's War 2021 Born a Champion 2022 That's Amor A Christmas Mystery A Hollywood Christmas TV Movie I Believe in Santa