The 89th Oscars® nominations were announced this morning and "Moonlight" received the following eight (8) nods:
* Best Supporting Actor - Mahershala Ali
* Cinematography - James Laxton
* Best Original Score - Nicholas Britell
* Best Adapted Screenplay - Barry Jenkins &Tarell McCraney
* Best Supporting Actress - Naomie Harris
* Film Editing - Joi McMillon & Nat Sanders
* Best Directing - Barry Jenkins
* Best Picture - Moonlight
These nominations make Moonlight co-editor Joi McMillon the first African-American woman to be recognized by the Academy for editing and director Barry Jenkins only the fourth African-American to be nominated for "Best Director" (John Singleton, Lee Daniels and Steve McQueen were prior nominees). This is Joi's first feature film editing credit and Barry's second feature film.
Written and directed by Jenkins, Moonlight is having an incredible awards season. The film is the only release of 2016 that has topped over 300 Top 10 Lists praised by writers and critics nationwide. In addition to taking home "Best Motion Picture - Drama" at the Golden Globes earlier this month, Moonlight has earned six NAACP Image Award nominations, a Critics' Choice Award, four Gotham Awards including "Best Picture," a National Board of Review Award, three SAG nominations and many more. Fans can view a detailed scrapbook and testament to the film's impact at http://moonlight.movie/.
BARRY JENKINS (Writer/Director) was born and raised in Miami, FL. After graduating from Florida State University with a BA in English and a BFA in Film, he relocated to Los Angeles where he worked as an assistant to director Darnell Martin on Harpo Films’ THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD. His feature film debut, MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY, was released in theaters by IFC Films and hailed as one of the best films of 2009 by A.O. Scott of The New York Times. In 2010, Jenkins co-founded the commercial collective Strike Anywhere Films. A nominee for several Spirit and Gotham Awards, Jenkins’ recent work includes a screen adaptation for Overbrook Films and staff writing on HBO’s “The Leftovers.” In addition to being a curator and presenter at the Telluride Film Festival, he is a United States Artists Smith Fellow and was recently named one of the “20 Directors to Watch” in world cinema by The New York Times. MOONLIGHT is his second feature film.
JOI MCMILLON (Editor) is a Los Angeles based film and television editor known for her work on Frankie Shaw’s breakout short film “SMILF,” which garnered Sundance’s 2015 US Short Jury Prize and is being adapted into a television pilot for Showtime. Her recent editorial credits include season five of Lena Dunham’s HBO series “Girls,” Carson Mell’s ANOTHER EVIL (SXSW 2016), and Janicza Bravo’s upcoming feature film LEMON. MOONLIGHT marks Joi’s second collaboration with Jenkins; they first worked together in 2011 on the short film “Chlorophyl.”
ABOUT 'MOONLIGHT' - A timeless story of human connection and self-discovery, MOONLIGHT chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami. At once a vital portrait of contemporary African American life and an intensely personal and poetic meditation on identity, family, friendship, and love, MOONLIGHT is a groundbreaking piece of cinema that reverberates with deep compassion and universal truths. Anchored by extraordinary performances from a tremendous ensemble cast, Jenkins’s staggering, singular vision is profoundly moving in its portrayal of the moments, people, and unknowable forces that shape our lives and make us who we are.
Posted By: Tanisha Grant
Tuesday, January 24th 2017 at 12:26PM
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