Moonlight’s best picture win is historic. It’s the first gay themed film to win the big award. Also the first one to win with an all black cast (more trivia here). However its big moment of course was stolen by the big debacle that was the best picture presentation.
Let’s shine a light back on Moonlight and its director Barry Jenkins. Here is the speech he would’ve given, had the presentation went as planned...
As told to EW:
[Moonlight playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney] and I are this kid. We are Chiron. And you don’t think that kid grows up to be nominated for eight Academy Awards. It’s not a dream he’s allowed to have. I still feel that way. I didn’t think this was possible. But now I look at other people looking at me and if I didn’t think it was possible, how are they going to? But now it’s happened. So what I think of possibility, let’s take it off the table. The thing has happened.
Wonderful speech, no?
It has echoes of Viola Davis famous SAG speech for The Help (2011) “dream big, dream fierce”. It also echoes what his co-writer McCraney said when accepting the best adapted screenplay award:
This goes out to all those black and brown boys and girls and non-gender-conforming who don't see themselves, we're trying to show you you and us. Thank you, thank you. This is for you.
Moonlight’s win is huge. It has to share these first few days of its history with La La Land for reasons none of the people behind either film had anything to do with. That won’t last long. Soon all the history books will have only one name as 2016’s best picture winner: Moonlight.