Moonlight Moonlight consists of mostly sunlight (with little earthlight) reflected from the parts of the Moon's surface where the Sun's light strikes. Illumination The intensity of moonlight varies greatly depending on the lunar phase, but even the ful ...

'' is a 2016 American drama film directed by

Barry Jenkins Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film ''Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Indep ...

. It is an adaptation of Tarell Alvin McCraney's play ''In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue''. Produced by Dede Gardner,

Jeremy Kleiner Jeremy Kleiner (born 1976/1977) is an American film producer. He and his fellow producers won two Academy Awards for Best Picture for the 2013 film ''12 Years a Slave'' and the 2016 film ''Moonlight''. Biography Kleiner was born to a Jewish fa ...

, and

Adele Romanski Adele Marie Romanski (; born November 10, 1982) is an American independent film producer. She is best known for producing the films ''Moonlight'' and ''The Myth of the American Sleepover''. ''Moonlight'' received eight Oscar nominations at the 8 ...

, it focuses on the life of Chiron, an African-American homosexual man struggling with his sexuality and identity while growing up in Miami, Florida. ''Moonlight'' stars

Trevante Rhodes Trevante Nemour Rhodes (born February 10, 1990) is an American actor. He won several accolades and achieved recognition in 2016 for his performance as Chiron in the Academy Award-winning film '' Moonlight''. He has since starred in '' The Pred ...

as Adult Chiron and André Holland as Adult Kevin, Chiron's closest friend. Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, and Janelle Monáe feature in supporting roles as Paula (Chiron's mother who suffers with drug addiction), Juan (a drug dealer), and Teresa (Juan's girlfriend) respectively. ''Moonlight'' premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016. It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2016, and the New York Film Festival on October 2, 2016. The film is the first produced by A24, which provided an initial limited release on October 21 before expanding to a wide release on November 18 at more than 600 theaters. It grossed a worldwide total of over $65 million at the box office on a $1.5 million budget. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes surveyed 392 reviews and judged 98% to be positive. ''Moonlight'' garnered awards and nominations in a variety of categories with particular praise for its direction and the performances of Ali and Harris. At the 89th Academy Awards, the film received eight nominations including Best Picture,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

for Jenkins and Best Supporting Actress for Harris. It went on to win Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Ali, and

Best Adapted Screenplay This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

. At the ceremony, romantic musical '' La La Land'' was incorrectly announced as the winner of Best Picture after the presenters had been given the wrong envelope. ''Moonlight'' was both the first film with an all-Black cast and the first LGBT-themed film to win Best Picture and Ali's win was the first for a Muslim actor in Academy Awards history. The film garnered six nominations at the 74th Golden Globe Awards and won Best Motion Picture – Drama. At the 70th British Academy Film Awards, ''Moonlight'' earned four nominations including Best Film,

Best Actor in a Supporting Role Best Actor in a Supporting Role may refer to: * AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role * BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role * Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Male * Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a S ...

for Ali, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Harris. At the

32nd Independent Spirit Awards The 32nd Film Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best independent films of 2016, were presented by Film Independent on February 25, 2017. The nominations were announced on November 22, 2016. The ceremony was hosted by Nick Kroll and John Mula ...

, the film won six awards including Best Film,

for Jenkins, and

Best Screenplay Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

. ''Moonlight'' garnered three nominations at the

23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring the best achievements in film and television performances for the year 2016, were presented on January 29, 2017 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was broadcast on ...

with Ali winning for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. It also received a nomination at the

69th Directors Guild of America Awards The 69th Directors Guild of America Awards, honoring the outstanding directorial achievements in films, documentary and television in 2016, were presented on February 4, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton. The ceremony was hosted by Jane Lynch. The nomi ...

and

28th Producers Guild of America Awards The 28th Producers Guild of America Awards (also known as 2017 Producers Guild Awards), honoring the best film and television producers of 2016, were held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on January 28, 2017. The nominations for ...

. At the

22nd Critics' Choice Awards The 22nd Critics' Choice Awards were presented on December 11, 2016 at the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport, honoring the finest achievements of filmmaking and television programming in 2016. The ceremony was broadcast on A&E and T.J. M ...

, ''Moonlight'' earned ten nominations including Best Picture,

for Jenkins, and Best Supporting Actress for Harris. It went on to win Best Supporting Actor for Ali and Best Acting Ensemble. The

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

Accolades

See also

Notes

References

External links