Reel Justice Film Series: Moonlight

The Reel Justice Film Series is a monthly screening and discussion of a film focused on social justice issues. Through engaging with these films and a guided discussion following the screening, students will gain a deeper understanding of the issues facing our society and the role they can play in positive change.

Moonlight, an American dramatic film, was released in 2016 and unexpectedly won the Academy Award for best picture. The director and cowriter, Barry Jenkins, won praise for his empathetic depiction of complex characters. Based on the unpublished play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney, it tells the story of a young black man coming to grips with his homosexual feelings. It was the first film with an entirely African American cast and the first with a homosexual main character to win the top Oscar.

Moonlight is set in the impoverished Liberty City area of Miami, shown in brilliant, luminous colours, and takes place in three acts.