What is the film Moonlight?

Moonlight , a 2016 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Barry Jenkins, garnered significant acclaim for its empathetic portrayal of complex characters and unexpected win for the Academy Award for best picture. Based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue , the film explores a young Black man's journey in coming to terms with his attraction to other men. Set in Miami's Liberty City, the film is presented in three acts, chronicling the protagonist Chiron at three stages of life: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. It was also the first film with an entirely African American cast and the first with a gay main character to win the top Oscar.

Who directed Moonlight and when was it released?

Moonlight , an American coming-of-age drama, was released in 2016 and directed by Barry Jenkins. The film, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue , tells the story of a young Black man grappling with his identity and attraction to other men. Jenkins is known for his lyrical and empathetic films that center on Black characters. Moonlight unexpectedly won the Academy Award for best picture. Jenkins and McCraney also won the Oscar for best-adapted screenplay.

What is the main story or plot of Moonlight?

Moonlight tells the story of Chiron, a young Black man, as he grapples with his identity and attraction to other men in Miami's Liberty City. The film is divided into three acts, each representing a different stage of Chiron's life. In the first act, Chiron, nicknamed "Little," is taken in by drug dealer Juan and his girlfriend, Teresa, who become his surrogate family. The second act sees Chiron in high school, where he is bullied and experiences a sexual encounter with his friend Kevin. This act ends with Chiron being arrested after an altercation. In the final act, Chiron is a drug dealer who reconnects with his mother and Kevin, leading to a reconciliation and a deeper connection with Kevin.

Who are the main characters in Moonlight and what are they like?

Moonlight tells the story of Chiron, a young Black man grappling with his attraction to other men, set in Miami's Liberty City.

What important themes are explored in Moonlight?

Moonlight , directed by Barry Jenkins, explores themes of identity, sexuality, and masculinity through the life of Chiron, a young Black man. The film portrays his struggle with his attraction to other men and the challenges of growing up in an impoverished environment. Set in Miami, Moonlight is divided into three acts, each representing a different stage in Chiron's life as he comes to terms with his identity and sexuality. The film also touches on themes of family, friendship, and the search for love and acceptance in the face of adversity.

How was Moonlight received by critics and what awards did it win?

Moonlight , directed by Barry Jenkins, garnered widespread critical acclaim for its empathetic portrayal of complex characters. Jenkins described it as a "hood-arthouse coming-of-age LGBT drama". The film received eight Academy Award nominations, ultimately winning three: * Best Picture * Best Adapted Screenplay (Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney) * Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali) Moonlight was also the first film with an entirely African American cast and the first with a gay main character to win the top Oscar.

Moonlight

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Alex Hibbert and Mahershala Ali in a scene from Moonlight, with Ali supporting Hibbert as they float together in the ocean.

Mahershala Ali as Juan in Moonlight sits in a car doorway, wearing a patterned shirt and black headscarf, looking intently ahead.

Quick Facts

Awards And Honors:: Academy Award (2017)

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Moonlight

film by Jenkins [2016]

Written by

Patricia Bauer

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Sep. 29, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is the film Moonlight?
Moonlight, a 2016 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Barry Jenkins, garnered significant acclaim for its empathetic portrayal of complex characters and unexpected win for the Academy Award for best picture. Based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, the film explores a young Black man's journey in coming to terms with his attraction to other men.

Set in Miami's Liberty City, the film is presented in three acts, chronicling the protagonist Chiron at three stages of life: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. It was also the first film with an entirely African American cast and the first with a gay main character to win the top Oscar.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Barry Jenkins
2. Moonlight
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Who directed Moonlight and when was it released?
Moonlight, an American coming-of-age drama, was released in 2016 and directed by Barry Jenkins. The film, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, tells the story of a young Black man grappling with his identity and attraction to other men. Jenkins is known for his lyrical and empathetic films that center on Black characters.

Moonlight unexpectedly won the Academy Award for best picture. Jenkins and McCraney also won the Oscar for best-adapted screenplay.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What is the main story or plot of Moonlight?
Moonlight tells the story of Chiron, a young Black man, as he grapples with his identity and attraction to other men in Miami's Liberty City. The film is divided into three acts, each representing a different stage of Chiron's life.

In the first act, Chiron, nicknamed "Little," is taken in by drug dealer Juan and his girlfriend, Teresa, who become his surrogate family. The second act sees Chiron in high school, where he is bullied and experiences a sexual encounter with his friend Kevin. This act ends with Chiron being arrested after an altercation.

In the final act, Chiron is a drug dealer who reconnects with his mother and Kevin, leading to a reconciliation and a deeper connection with Kevin.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Synonyms of moonlight
2. Moonlight
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Who are the main characters in Moonlight and what are they like?
Moonlight tells the story of Chiron, a young Black man grappling with his attraction to other men, set in Miami's Liberty City.
- Chiron is shown in three stages of his life, as he comes to terms with his sexuality and identity. As a child nicknamed Little (Alex Hibbert), he is a quiet, bullied boy taken in by drug dealer Juan (Mahershala Ali) and his girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monáe).
- In high school, Chiron (Ashton Sanders) is bullied. His mother struggles with addiction, and he finds comfort in Teresa. A sexual encounter with his friend Kevin (Jharrel Jerome) leads to further bullying.
- As an adult (Trevante Rhodes), Chiron is a drug dealer who reconnects with Kevin (André Holland), leading to a reconciliation.
1 Britannica Source
1. Moonlight
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What important themes are explored in Moonlight?
Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins, explores themes of identity, sexuality, and masculinity through the life of Chiron, a young Black man. The film portrays his struggle with his attraction to other men and the challenges of growing up in an impoverished environment.

Set in Miami, Moonlight is divided into three acts, each representing a different stage in Chiron's life as he comes to terms with his identity and sexuality. The film also touches on themes of family, friendship, and the search for love and acceptance in the face of adversity.
1 Britannica Source
1. Moonlight
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How was Moonlight received by critics and what awards did it win?
Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins, garnered widespread critical acclaim for its empathetic portrayal of complex characters. Jenkins described it as a "hood-arthouse coming-of-age LGBT drama".

The film received eight Academy Award nominations, ultimately winning three:
* Best Picture
* Best Adapted Screenplay (Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney)
* Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali)

Moonlight was also the first film with an entirely African American cast and the first with a gay main character to win the top Oscar.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Moonlight, American dramatic film, released in 2016, that 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 attraction to other men. It was the first film with an entirely African American cast and the first with a gay main character to win the top Oscar.

(Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.)

Moonlight is set in the impoverished Liberty City area of Miami, shown in brilliant, luminous colours, and takes place in three acts. In the first act, successful drug dealer Juan (played by Mahershala Ali) sees a young boy fleeing a group of other boys threatening to beat him and follows the child into an abandoned apartment, into which he has locked himself for protection. The child (Alex Hibbert) refuses to speak but allows Juan to buy him a meal. Juan and his girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monáe), take him into their home, where the boy says that his name is Chiron and that he is called Little, but he refuses to say where he lives until the following morning. Juan returns him to his mother (Naomie Harris), a user of crack cocaine who is emotionally abusive to the child. Juan and Teresa become an alternate family for Chiron, who does not know how to fit in with the other boys in the neighbourhood, though a friend, Kevin (Jaden Piner), tries to teach him.

Publicity still with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman from the motion picture film "Casablanca" (1942); directed by Michael Curtiz. (cinema, movies)

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In the second act, Chiron (now played by Ashton Sanders) is in high school, where he is bullied by Terrel (Patrick Decile). His mother has sunk deeper into addiction, and he continues to be cared for by Teresa, though his mentor Juan is dead. One night on the beach, Chiron has a sexual encounter with Kevin (now played by Jharrel Jerome). Terrel then manipulates Kevin into knocking Chiron down to be kicked and beaten by Terrel and his cohort. When Chiron returns to school, he strides into the classroom and smashes a chair into Terrel. Chiron is then taken away in handcuffs.

In the third act, ten years have passed, and Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) is a muscle-bound drug dealer in Atlanta, patterning himself after Juan. His mother wants him to visit her in the drug rehab facility, and Kevin (André Howard), now a short-order cook and waiter in a diner in Miami, reaches out to him in a phone call. Chiron first visits his mother, they achieve a wary reconciliation, and then he goes to Kevin’s diner, where Kevin tries to draw him out. At Kevin’s apartment, Chiron confesses that he has been celibate since his encounter with Kevin, and he and Kevin come together.

The announcement for the best picture award at the 89th Academy Awards ceremony gained infamy when presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway mistakenly named the musical La La Land the winner of the prize for best picture. They had been given the duplicate envelope for the previous award, which had gone to Emma Stone for her performance in La La Land. When show officials realized the mix-up, they interrupted the producers’ acceptance speeches to announce that the true winner was Moonlight.

Production notes and credits

Studios: A24, PASTEL, and Plan B Entertainment
Director: Barry Jenkins
Writers: Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney
Music: Nicholas Britell

Cast

Mahershala Ali (Juan)
Alex Hibbert (Chiron as a child)
Janelle Monáe (Teresa)
Naomie Harris (Paula, Chiron’s mother)
Jaden Piner (Kevin as a child)
Ashton Sanders (teenage Chiron)
Patrick Decile (Terrel)
Jharrel Jerome (teenage Kevin)
Trevante Rhodes (adult Chiron)
André Holland (adult Kevin)

Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)

Picture*
Supporting actor* (Mahershala Ali)
Supporting actress (Naomie Harris)
Cinematography
Directing
Editing
Music
Writing*

Patricia Bauer The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Moonlight

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Production notes and credits

Cast

Academy Award nominations (* denotes win)