More than a year after that infamous mix-up at the Oscars, on Sunday at the SXSW conference, Moonlight director Barry Jenkins finally delivered the best picture acceptance speech he would have given.
Chicagoans are protective of their city, and for good reason. Over the past few years, the City of the Big Shoulders has been the go-to dog whistle for Republicans and what-about-black-on-black-crime enthusiasts alike. The cityâs spot on Americaâs Wheel of Sensationalism has dominated the larger national media gaze asâŚ
2017 has been, how do I put this succinctly, a fucking shit year.
2017 has been a motherfucker of a year. Despite this fact, blackness has flourished. Weâve seen a resurgence of pride and excitement in blackness that is reminiscent of the Black Power movement of the â60s. From #BlackGirlMagic to #BlackBoyJoy, Dead Mike from mythical rap group CB4 is outchea looking like a damnâŚ
After his history-making turn directing Moonlight, Barry Jenkins has chosen to tackle the work of one of Americaâs great literary icons: James Baldwin.
Barry Jenkins, director of the Oscar-winning feature film Moonlight, has plans to bring more black excellence to the screen in the form of a screen adaptation of If Beale Street Could Talk, a novel by celebrated author James Baldwin.
Moonlightâs Jharrel Jerome and Ashton Sanders won Best Kiss at the MTV Movie and TV Awards Sunday, beating out heavy kissers like La La Landâs Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.
Moonlight may have won Best Picture at the Oscars and was a fan favorite, but the movie is receiving an even bigger honor in Miami. A stretch of streets will be called Moonlight Way because the movie takes place in Miami and itâs where its director, Barry Jenkins, and playwright, Tarell Alvin McCraney, are from.
Mahershala Ali has recently joined Michelle Obama, Harriet Tubman, the first Aunt Viv, Marshawn Lynch, and Mufasa from The Lion King as the only Black people with a 100 percent approval rating within the Black community. His recent stretch of standout performances in House of Cards, Luke Cage, Hidden Figures, and âŚ
Robert Townsendâs Hollywood Shuffle was released 30 years ago this year. Although it couldnât have been noted at the time, Shuffle became a foundational film that launched the careers of two of our most prolific filmmakers and made us aware of an entire family of comedic geniusesâthe Wayans family. I most remember theâŚ
If there were ever anyone deserving of an Oscar acceptance-speech do-over, that would be Moonlight director Barry Jenkins. As we all probably know, La La Land was announced as the Best Picture winner at the Oscars by accident, and Jenkins, in the rush of the moment, wasnât granted the time to give an acceptance speech.
Whereâs a church fan when you need one?
There was no church scene. There were no tambourines or drums, no preachers loudly proclaiming Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6:9. There were no flamboyant choir directors, teenagers named Arthur or bluesmen named Jimmy; no John or Gabriel Grimes; no Elishas.
In one of the most entertaining "spontaneous" bits I've ever seen performed at the Academy Awards, Jimmy Kimmel allowed a group of flabbergasted and starstruck tourists into the Dolby Theater to walk past the audience. This, of course, introduced the world to #GaryFromChicago and his wife â computer generatedâŚ
Mahershala Ali set the tone for the evening as he walked onstage to accept the first award of the night. Ali, who won for best supporting actor in Moonlight, made history as he became the first Muslim actor to ever win an Academy Award.
As those involved with the movies up for the best picture award at Sundayâs Oscars were sitting on pins and needles, most people at home were just ready for the show to finally end. And, boy, did it end with a bang.
Will Moonlight pull the upset, or will La La Land's unstoppable celebration of cinematic Whiteness prevail? Will Uncle Denzel and Viola and Mahershala walk away with hardware? Will we have another "Hidden Fences" moment? Will Jimmy Kimmel do something â anything â funny? Let's see!
I have a complicated relationship with the Academy Awards.
Editorâs note: In Focus is a video series showcasing the new wave of black filmmakers.
While y'all's cousin Sage Steele was on Instagram lamenting that the airport protesters might cause some people to be a little late for their flights â ultimately reminding us all to never trust a Black person named after a spice â Mahershala Ali took his SAG award acceptance speech as an opportunity to provide theâŚ
