The surprise film of 2009 was "District 9," the $30 million sci-fi tale that was directed by newcomer Neill Blomkamp, the Johannesburg native who celebrated his 30th birthday the month after the movie opened wide. "District 9" met with strong success both critically and commercially and it's still being discovered after arriving this month on DVD and Blu-ray. I sat down with Blomkamp at Pete's Cafe in downtown Los Angeles during the filmmaker's recent visit to Southern California and we talked about the movie and his surprising plans for the future, which, he says, won't include any big-budget sci-fi epics. This is Part 1 of the interview:
District 9 director turns down Hollywood
Why Neill Blomkamp wants nothing to do with big budget cinema.