Even After Moonlight, It’s Nearly Impossible to Get a Gay Movie Ma | Vany Fair

Contents:

• ‘IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE VULNERABLE’: HOW MOONLIGHT REFLECTS BEG A BLACK GAY MAN THE US
• GAY, BLACK, AND REVOLUTNARY: THE IMPORTANCE OF 'MOONLIGHT'
• DON’T STOP AT “MOONLIGHT”—THERE ARE OTHER BLACK QUEER MOVI TO SEEFILMMAKERS WHO VISUALIZE THE WORLDS AND LIVED EXPERIENC OF BLACK LGBT PEOPLE ARE OVERDUE FOR SER ATTENTN. {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}MOVIBY DARNELL L. MOOREAPRIL 20, 2017/3:40 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}MOONLIGHT/A24BY DARNELL L. MOOREAPRIL 20, 2017 / 3:40 PM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"DON’T STOP AT “MOONLIGHT”—THERE ARE OTHER BLACK QUEER MOVI TO SEE","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2017-04-20T19:40:24.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2017-04-20T19:40:24.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"DARNELL L. MOORE","ARTICLESECTN":"MOVI"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THERE ARE FEW RECENT FILMS AS VISUALLY STUNNG AND HONT AS BARRY JENKS’S MOONLIGHT. THE FILM, BASED ON TARELL ALV MCCRANEY’S PLAY, IN MOONLIGHT BLACK BOYS LOOK BLUE, IS A WORK SOME CRICS HAVE NARROWLY SCRIBED AS AN “LGBT FILM.”{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}BUT MOONLIGHT IS MUCH MORE THAN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THE FILM IS A CEMATIC MEDATN ON FAY, BOYHOOD, MANHOOD, TIMACY, IENDSHIP, BETRAYAL, FIVENS, HUMAN PLEXY, AND HOME, TOLD OM THE UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE OF BLACK CHARACTERS NAVIGATG LIFE URBAN AMERI—CHARACTERS AND EXPERIENC OFTEN MISSG THE GENRE OF LGBT FILMS. AND THAT IS WHY I UTN THE BROAR, WHE, LGBT MUNY TO NOT BE SO QUICK TO CLAIM MOONLIGHT AS S OWN JT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN A NEW YORKER REVIEW, HILTON ALS SCRIBED TAIL THE MANY WAYS MOONLIGHT "UNDO OUR EXPECTATNS" OF BLACK REPRENTATN CEMA. BUT ALSO UNRAVELED THE EXPECTATNS OF WHE HOLLYWOOD AFTER THE ALL BLACK ST AND PRODUCTN TEAM WON AN OSR FOR BT PICTURE—ONLY AFTER THE SAME AWARD WAS MISTAKENLY HAND OVER TO THE MOSTLY WHE PRODUCTN TEAM AND ST OF LA LA LAND. THE GAFFE WAS AN IRONIC EXAMPLE OF THE WAYS EXCEPTNAL BLACK FILMS TEND TO BE OVERSHADOWED BY THOSE CENTERG ON WHE CHARACTERS—EVEN IF SUCH FILMS ARE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WHILE WATCHG THE AWARDS, I WASN’T EVEN STUNNED WHEN LA LA LAND WAS ANNOUNCED. ONLY A HANDFUL OF FILMS CENTERED ON BLACK PEOPLE’S LIV, DIRECTED BY BLACK PEOPLE, HAVE ACTUALLY WON BT PICTURE. I WAS MOST SURPRISED WHEN THE MISTAKE WAS CLARIFIED AND MOONLIGHT WAS ANNOUNCED AS THE REAL WNER.GETTY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MOONLIGHT’S WELL-SERVED SUCCS IS E FOR LLECTIVE CELEBRATN. IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE WHEN BLACK FILMMAKERS SPECIFILLY CREATE ART FOCED NOT ON THE HOLLYWOOD GAZE, BUT ON THE WORLDS OM WHICH BLACK PEOPLE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IT IS ALSO A REMR BLACK MEN WHO FALL LOVE WH OTHER BLACK MEN, LIKE THE TWO MA CHARACTERS MOONLIGHT, ARE NOT NECSARILY BT INTIFIED AS “GAY.” Y, THE FILM PICTS TWO BLACK BOYS-BEG-MEN DISVERG THEIR LOVE, BUT THEIR EXPRSNS OF TIMACY ARE NO QUEERER, NO MORE PROFOUNDLY LIBERATG, THAN THEIR {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MOONLIGHT IS BUT ONE EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE OF BETIFUL AND TRANSFORMATIVE WORK BLACK FILMMAKERS HAVE ALWAYS CREATED, AND NOT JT THIS YEAR. BLACK FILMMAKERS WHOSE WORKS VISUALIZE THE WORLDS AND LIVED EXPERIENC OF BLACK PEOPLE—SOMETIM THROUGH CHARACTERS WHO INTIFY AS LGBT—ON THE BIG SCREEN OR THE INTER ARE OVERDUE FOR PUBLIC PRAISE. AND EVEN IF THE FILM DTRY AND PUBLIC REFE TO OFFER PRAISE, THE WORK OF THE FILMMAKERS IS NO LS BRAVE AND {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}BLACK FILMMAKERS HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN THIS TO BE TE AND HAVE SOUGHT TO “CREATE DANGEROLY,” AS HAIAN-AMERIN STORYTELLER EDWIDGE DANTIT ENURAG, SPE THE WAYS THE AMERIN FILMMAKG DTRY HAS LONG RISTED STORI CENTERED ON BLACKNS AND BLACK LGBT EXPERIENC.TONGU UNTIED/{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}FILMMAKERS CLUDG MARLON RIGGS, THE BLACK GAY CREATOR OF CELEBRATED DOCUMENTARI LIKE TONGU UNTIED (1989) AND BLACK IS... BLACK A’T (1994), AND BLACK LBIAN FILMMAKER CHERYL DUNYE, THE GENI BEHD THE CLASSIC THE WATERMELON WOMAN (1997), ARE ARTISTS WHOSE WORKS CRIQUED THE SHORTSIGHTEDNS OF MOST LGBT BLOCKBTER FILMS, WORKS WHICH TEND TO LACK BLACK REPRENTATN, S BEFORE MOONLIGHT’S WELL-SERVED ACCLAIM. BUT THERE ARE OTHER FILMMAKERS AND FILMS THE PUBLIC SHOULD BE AWARE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}DEE RE’ 2007 FILM, PARIAH, TELLS THE STORY OF BLACK TEENAGE LBIAN ALIKE (APERO ODUYE), GROWG UP AND DISVERG HER QUEERNS BROOKLYN’S FORT GREENE. CHARL B. BRACK’S 2008 DOCUMENTARY DREAM DEFERRED: THE SAKIA GUNN FILM PROJECT REVISS THE MURR OF A 15-YEAR OLD OM NEWARK AND THE RULTG URT BATTLE, AND SHEDS LIGHT ON WHAT MEANS TO LIVE LIFE AS A YOUNG BLACK LBIAN NAVIGATG A WORLD WHERE HOMO-ANTAGONISM MIGHT LERALLY KILL.STUD LIFE/ NEW LIME REPUBLIC {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}CAMPBELL X’S 2012 FILM STUD LIFE ALSO TACKL THE PLEXY OF BLACK LBIAN LIV. AND THERE ARE OTHER FILMS THAT PEER TO BLACK GIRLHOOD, WOMANHOOD AND LBIAN EXPERIENC THE PUBLIC MT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}DIRECTED BY DREAM HAMPTON 2015, THE DOCUMENTARY TREASURE: FROM TRAGEDY TO TRANS JTICE MAPPG A DETRO STORY, CHRONICL THE LIFE AND MURR OF SHELLY “TREASURE” HILLIARD, A 19-YEAR-OLD TRANS WOMAN OM DETRO. SEAN BAKER’S HILAR EDY TANGERE (2015) EXPLOR THE NER LIV OF TRANS WOMEN SEX WORKERS.STILL BLACK/BLACK STAR {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}KORTNEY RYAN ZIEGLER’S GROUNDBREAKG DOCUMENTARY, STILL BLACK: A PORTRA OF BLACK TRANSMEN (2008), IS, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THE ONLY FILM FOCED ON THE LIV OF BLACK TRANS MEN. AND JACQUELE GAR’ FREE CECE, WAS RELEASED 2016, FOUR YEARS AFTER THE FILMS’ NAMAKE, CECE MCDONALD, A BLACK TRANS WOMAN OM MNEAPOLIS TOOK A PLEA AL FOR A SEND-GREE MANSLGHTER CHARGE RECEIVED FOR FENDG HERSELF AGAST A MAN WHO ATTACKED HER WHILE WALKG WH HER IENDS ON A PUBLIC STREET.THE SKNY/ SZYMON SAYZ {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}PATRIK IAN POLKS’ NOAH’S ARC: JUMPG THE BROOM (2008), THE SKNY (2012) AND BLACKBIRD (2014) OFFER NTEMPORARY TAK ON BLACK GAY LOVE AND IENDSHIPS, WHILE DARI CLARK MONROE’S SHORT "SLOW" (2011) ADDRS THE TERSECTNALY OF DISABILY, QUEERNS, AND BLACK LOVE. AND THE WEB SERI NO SHA (2015), IS A TEAR-DRIPPG EDY ABOUT BLACK LGBT LIFE NEW YORK OM CREATIVE AND ROMANTIC PARTNERS SEAN ANTHONY AND TERRY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THERE ARE A PLETHORA OF FILMS CENTERED ON THE LIV OF BLACK PEOPLE WHO LOVE AND FUCK PEOPLE OF THE SAME SEX, BUT WE ABSOLUTELY SERVE MORE. FILMMAKERS N ONLY CREATE MORE WORKS, HOWEVER, IF THEY HAVE THE FANCIAL ROURC AND DTRY SUPPORT TO DO SO. MOONLIGHT WAS THE LOWT-BUDGET FILM TO EVER W THE OSR FOR BT PICTURE. WHILE THAT'S EVINCE OF BARRY JENKS’ ARTISTRY AND GENUY, 'S ALSO DITIVE OF A LARGER PROBLEM: AS LONG AS LIMED ROURC ARE DIRECTED TOWARD BLACK FILMS, AS LONG AS HOLLYWOOD . THKS SUCH FILMS WON'T REACH MASS DIENC, THE DTRY’S WHENS PROBLEM WILL NEVER BE FIXED.NO SHA/SLAY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THANK THE UNIVERSE, THOUGH, FOR THE GENI AND TENACY OF BLACK ARTISTS: NEXT MONTH, THE TORRGTONS ARE LNCHG SLAY TV, AN ONLE PLATFORM FOR ORIGAL NTENT—WEB SHOWS, MOVI, SHORTS, UNSCRIPTED SERI, DOCUMENTARI, MIC, AND MORE—FOCG ON QUEER PEOPLE OF LOR. AND THEY'RE NOT WAG FOR THE MASTREAM AND LGBT FILM DTRI TO GIVE THEIR BLSG. IT'S THAT KD OF DANGEROLY CREATIVE CISN THAT WILL PROPEL BLACK FILMMAKERS, CULTURAL PRODUCERS, AND DIENC {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}BLACK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN READY FOR THE WORKS. BLACK FILMMAKERS HAVE HAD NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO CREATE SPE LIMATNS. IT’S UP TO THE FILM DTRY AND THE LGBT FILM MARKET TO TCH UP, OR S BACK AND WATCH OM BEHD AS BLACK FILMMAKERS NTUE TO PH GREAT AND NECSARY ART TO THE ONT OF THE STAGE WHOUT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS
• ‘MOONLIGHT' IS NOT JT ANOTHER BLACK GAY MOVIE
• THE PARTICULARLY LGBT DRAMA OF THE ‘MOONLIGHT’ BT PICTURE OSR VICTORYWINNERMOONLIGHT’ WON BT PICTURE AT LAST NIGHT’S OSRS, WH EXPLOSIVE DRAMA ATTACHED—ECHOG THE NATURE OF LGBT POLIL ADVANC RECENT YEARS. TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED APR. 11, 2017 4:07PM EDT / PUBLISHED FEB. 27, 2017 2:11PM EST AS CHAOS FLOWED THE CLOSG MOMENTS OF THE OSRS TELEST LAST NIGHT AROUND MOONLIGHT’S VICTORY AS BT PICTURE AFTER WARREN BEATTY’S WCG FLUB MOMENTARILY PRIVED THEM OF , A FEW THOUGHTS OCCURRED TO THIS VIEWER.OVERARCHG ALL OF THOSE CLASHG THOUGHTS, SPOOLG OM THE GENERAL WTF-ERY OF THE WHOLE BACLE: WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE MAKE WAY, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY, AND MAKE SPACE AND TIME FOR SOMEONE OM MOONLIGHT TO HAVE THEIR FULL AND PROPER MOMENT UP THERE? THIS IS THEIR MOMENT, NOT YOURS, SO ALL OF YOU—CLUDG SMIRKG JIMMY KIMMEL—JT GET OFF THAT STAGE. ABC, HOLD YOUR LOL NEWS BROADSTS. WE N WA.IT WASN’T JT THAT A BLACK, LGBT-THEMED MOVIE WAS MAKG HISTORY WNG BT PICTURE, WAS THAT WAS BEG ROBBED OF THIS GLOR MOMENT THE CHAOS OF A MOMENT OF ERROR. MOONLIGHT’S OSRS VICTORY IS A CULTURAL AND POLIL LANDMARK, AND WAS NOT ALLOWED TO BLOOM AS SHOULD.INSTEAD, HOLLYWOOD IMMEDIATELY STARTED GG ON S VERY OWN ZAPR MYSTERY—AND YET ANOTHER SIGNIFINT LGBT CULTURAL MOMENT ME LOAD WH EXPLOSIVE DRAMA. AN LGBT VICTORY IS RARELY A LM, CLEAN ONE—“BATTLG FOR LGBT RIGHTS,” AS THE PHRASE GO, IS PRECISELY THAT AND HAS BOUGHT MANY OF S FIGHTERS SRS. AND SO WAS LAST NIGHT, TOO. IF THIS WERE A MOVIE SELF, THE DIENCE AT HOME WAS CHEERG THE TERVENTN OF JORDAN HOROWZ, LA LA LAND’S PRODUCER, HOLDG ALOFT THE RRECT PIECE OF RD WH MOONLIGHT’S NAME ON , AS IF—GRAVE JTICE PERPETRATED—HE HAD THE PROOF OF THE SAME, AND WOULD NOW AVENGE .THE STAK WERE EVEN ODR FOR THE ADMIRABLE HOROWZ, AS HIS FILM HAD BEEN RRECTLY BADGED AS THE WNER, AND HERE HE WAS SAYG THE NAME OF THE REAL WNER SO DAMN CLEARLY. HIS FILM HADN’T WON, AND THAT HE WANTED HIS “IENDS” OF MOONLIGHT TO LLECT WHAT WAS RIGHTFULLY THEIRS WAS MOVG AND CHEERG. HOROWZ’S OUTRAGE, AND ALSO HIS PRI MOONLIGHT, WAS PALPABLE, AND HE ALSO KNEW THE TELEST WAS NNG OUT OF TIME TO RIGHT .IT WAS A LOVELY MOMENT BEE WAS A MOMENT OF TE, HUMAN CENCY. AND BEE THERE ARE SO FEW OF THOSE TO BEHOLD THE DAYS, STCK HOME.OK, THIS IS MOVI NOT POLICS, BUT HOROWZ’S TERMATN TO DO THE RIGHT THG, FOR THE RIGHT REASON, AND WH A TONE OF VOICE THAT ROUND WH RRECTG AN JTICE WAS STIRRG AND RONANT: A GOOD GUY DO GOOD MOMENT.THEN THERE WAS AR WARREN BEATTY, WHO THE GAP OF TIME TOOK FOR THE SHOCKED ST AND CREW OF MOONLIGHT TO REACH THE STAGE CID THAT THIS WAS THE BT MOMENT TO STATE HIS MEA CULPA. ONE FELT FOR BEATTY—HE HAD BEEN HAND THE WRONG ENVELOPE, OM WHENCE THE NFN FLOWED, AND HE WANTED TO EXPLA HIMSELF BUT ULDN’T—BUT ULD SOMEBODY NOT HAVE GENTLY SHUNTED HIM ASI AND LET BARRY JENKS OR TARELL ALV MCCRANEY HAVE THEIR VICTOR MOMENT, UNENCUMBERED.THE MANNER OF MOONLIGHT’S BT PICTURE VICTORY, THE MS AND DRAMA OF THAT VICTORY, IS TODAY AT LEAST—THOUGH PERHAPS NOT FOREVER—AS MEMORABLE AS THE ARTISTRY BEHD S SUCCS. HOPEFULLY WILL LEAD MORE PEOPLE TO SEE . IT IS HEARTENG TO SEE SO MANY HEADL TODAY HAMMERG HOME S BRILLIANCE.THERE IS ALSO AN ODD POLIL SYMMETRY TO LAST NIGHT’S EVENTS. LGBT RIGHTS ADVANC HAVE BEEN SIARLY DRAMATIC RECENT YEARS, TENDG TO FALL JT BEFORE PRI LATE JUNE, AND AFTER YEARS OF EMOTNAL, DITED POLICKG AGAST A PREVAILG BACKDROP OF BIGOTRY AND DISCRIMATN.ON JUNE 24, 2011, MARRIAGE EQUALY WAS LEGALIZED NEW YORK. ON JUNE 26, 2013, THE SUPREME COURT CLARED DOMA UNNSTUTNAL A 5-4 VOTE; AND TWO YEARS LATER ON THE SAME DATE, THE SUPREME COURT AGA LED 5-4 THAT THE CONSTUTN GUARANTE A RIGHT TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.THE DRAMATIC, PIVOTAL POLIL MOMENTS ECHOED MOONLIGHT’S W LAST NIGHT. IT MAY HAVE BEEN AN ADMISTRATIVE ERROR, BUT THE JTICE AND RIGHTG OF THAT JTICE WAS A MICROSM OF THE STGGL THAT MOONLIGHT EVOK; OF HOW S LEAD CHARACTER TO TAKE HIS PLACE THE WORLD, TO LAY HIS CLAIM TO LOVE, BELONGG, AND SELF-RPECT.MOONLIGHT, A MOVIE ABOUT THE HARD LIFE, AND EVEN HARR PATH TO SELF-ACCEPTANCE, OF A BLACK, GAY MAN, WON BT PICTURE A YEAR WHEN THE MARGALIZED HAVE NEVER FELT MORE MARGALIZED, AND WHERE MORY RIGHTS HAVE NEVER FELT MORE IMPERILED THE UNED STAT. ITS VICTORY AS THAT N OF DRAMATIC POLIL VICTORI ON THE EV OF PRI—AND THOSE VICTORI ALMOST 50 YEARS AFTER THE STONEWALL RTS—FEEL EVER MORE EQUIVOL.IF THE FIGHT IS FAR OM OVER, MOONLIGHT’S VERY LERAL FIGHT—EVEN HAVG WON THE DAMN OSR—TO TAKE S PLACE ON THE STAGE, TO CLAIM S RIGHTFUL REWARD, BE EVEN MORE SYMBOLILLY IMPORTANT. ITS VICTORY IS AN IMPLIC BODY-BLOW TO THE FORC OF BIGOTRY SEEKG TO DO HARM TO, AND ROLL BACK THE RIGHTS OF, MORI. MCCRANEY HIMSELF, LLECTG THE OSR FOR ADAPTED SCREENPLAY, SAID, “THIS GO OUT TO ALL THOSE BLACK AND BROWN BOYS AND GIRLS AND NON-GENR-NFORMG WHO DON'T SEE THEMSELV. WE'RE TRYG TO SHOW YOU YOU AND . SO THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THIS IS FOR YOU.”LATER SUNDAY NIGHT, ON E! AND ABC’S “AFTER-SHOW PARTY” PROGRAMS, THE MOONLIGHT ST AND CREW DID APPEAR, AND LOOKED AS SHELL-SHOCKED AS ONE MIGHT EXPECT, AND CERTALY AS MUCH AS HOSTS AND VIEWERS AT HOME FELT.BUT THEY DID NOT MIRROR, AT LEAST ON MERA, THE SHOCK-AND-AWE TON OF HOSTS, TRYG TO MAKE SENSE OF THE ENVELOPE ERROR. INSTEAD, DIRECTOR BARRY JENKS GRACLY ACCEPTED NGRATULATNS, AND SOUGHT TO FOC ATTENTN ON THEIR PRI THE FILM. AND AS THAT FILM WILL NO DOUBT HEAD BACK TO CEMAS, SURFG S RIGHTFUL BT PICTURE VICTORY, THAT MAY BE A NNY STRATEGY.STILL, MOONLIGHT DID NOT HAVE S BT PICTURE MOMENT ON THE OSRS STAGE, AND THAT GAP OF REGNN IS ALSO SYMBOLIC WHEN ONE NSIRS S SUBJECT MATTER AND CULTURAL IMPORT. NOT ONLY DID MOONLIGHT MISS OUT ON S MOMENT THE SUN, THE WORLD DID NOT HEAR OM S MAKERS THAT MOMENT EHER—THEIR JOY, PRI, AND MSAG—PERSONAL, POLIL, AND OTHERWISE—TO THE WORLD WATCHG.IF THE MS OF THE CLAIMG OF S PRIZE SEEMS OUTRAGEO AND OUT OF THE ORDARY TO YOU, WASN’T SO OUTRAGEO—NOT AT THE BACK OF OUR MDS—TO LGBT VIEWERS WATCHG, MIRRORG AS DID THE VEXED TRAJECTORY OF LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS ADVANC THEMSELV. THE MISTAKE MAY HAVE BEEN CLERIL AND SILLY, BUT THE SIGNIFINCE OF MOONLIGHT, AND S OWN BATTLE TO CLAIM S PLACE, STANDS FOR A BIGGER BATTLE.IF SEEMS NUTTY THAT THE WRONG FILM WAS NAMED AS BT PICTURE THOSE BIZARRE FEW SENDS, ALSO NSIR HOW OUTRAGEO IS THAT, 2017, THE VICTORY OF A BLACK, LGBT-THEMED FILM AT THE OSRS SHOULD BE NSIRED HISTORIC. BUT IS, AND THE MAGNU OF THAT MOMENT WAS LOST LAST NIGHT—UNFIVABLY SO.IF YOU ARE OUTRAGED FOR MOONLIGHT—THE LOWT-GROSSG BT PICTURE NOMEE OF THIS YEAR—THEN SUPPORT AND OTHERS LIKE . MOONLIGHT’S VICTORY MEANS, ALONGSI THE THREATS POSED TO LGBT EQUALY, THAT THE POLIL AND CULTURAL STGGLE GO ON.LET THE VICTORY OF MOONLIGHT MEAN MORE FILMS SWIM S WAKE. AND IF THOSE FILMS ARE GOOD ENOUGH, LET THEM HAVE THEIR MOMENT OF CLEAN, UNMSED-UP VICTORY PRIMETIME ON OSRS NIGHT. MOONLIGHT DID NOT, BUT S VICTORY MAY YET PROVE RONANT FOR ALL THE BT REASONS. TIM TEEMAN
• EVEN A POST-MOONLIGHT WORLD, IT’S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A GAY MOVIE MAAS PRI MONTH DRAWS TO A CLOSE, SIX LGBTQ DIRECTORS REFLECT ON THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATNS OF GETTG THEIR WORK THROUGH THE SYSTEM.BY NICK ROMANOJUNE 27, 2017CLOCKWISE OM LEFT, JT KELLY'S I AM MICHAEL, 2015, ELIZA HTMAN'S BEACH RATS, 2017, ANDREW AHN'S SPA NIGHT, 2016, JAMIE BABB'S BUT I’M A CHEERLEAR, 2000, IRA SACHS' LOVE IS STRANGE, 2014, SYDNEY FREELAND'S DNKTOWN’S FT, 2014.CLOCKWISE OM LEFT, OM EVERETT COLLECTN, URTY OF SUNDANCE FILM FTIVAL, OM STRAND RELEASG/EVERETT COLLECTN, OM LNS GATE/EVERETT COLLECTN, OM SONY PICTUR/EVERETT COLLECTN, OM TOY GUN FILMS.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEHOLLYWOOD IS HAVG AN “EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT”—A PHRASE ADVERTENTLY ED BY DIRECTOR BILL CONDON THIS WTER AND OVERBLOWN BY MEDIA ATTENTN. RECENT FILMS LIKE BETY AND THE BEAST AND POWER RANGERS HAVE “BROKEN GROUND” OR “MA HISTORY”—ACRDG TO THE HEADL, ANYWAY—AS MAJOR HOLLYWOOD RELEAS FEATURG OPENLY QUEER CHARACTERS. UNFORTUNATELY, THEIR “G OUT” SCEN HAVE MOSTLY BEEN LOST TRANSLATN.“I WATCHED ALIEN: COVENANT AND THERE’S A GAY UPLE , AND I HAD NO IA,” SPA NIGHT DIRECTOR ANDREW AHN TELLS VANY FAIR, LGHG. “AND I LOOK FOR GAY SH ALL THE TIME. I N’T BELIEVE I MISSED .”GLAAD’S FIFTH ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD REPORT RD NFIRMS THAT THE GAY MUNY IS STILL DRAMATILLY UNRREPRENTED MASTREAM MOVI: JT 23 OF THE 125 FILMS RELEASED BY STUDS 2016 FEATURED LGBTQ CHARACTERS, AND 10 OF THE 23 GAVE THEM LS THAN A MUTE OF SCREEN TIME. THE DIE REALM HAS BEE OUR PRIMARY SOURCE FOR MORE DIVERSY ON SCREEN. IT’S WHAT MA POSSIBLE FOR MOONLIGHT—A FILM ABOUT A QUEER PERSON OF LOR—TO W BT PICTURE AT THE OSRS. YET THAT SPACE WH S OWN PLITNS, AS MOONLIGHT DIRECTOR BARRY JENKS HAS DISCSED AT LENGTH.FOR SOMEONE LIKE LOVE IS STRANGE DIRECTOR IRA SACHS, WHO’S BEEN THE BS FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, N FEEL “NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE” TO MAKE LGBTQ FILMS. “I’M ENURAGED BY ANYONE WHO MANAG TO MAKE A FILM WH LGBTQ NTENT THAT FURTHERS THE VISIBILY,” HE SAYS OF MOVI LIKE MOONLIGHT AND THIS YEAR’S CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, WHICH IS ALREADY GENERATG AWARDS BUZZ. “I NEED THE VISIBILY AS MUCH AS ANYONE WHO’S STARTG OR BEGNG, AND AS MUCH AS THE DIENCE. IT’S A REMR THAT ’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE, THAT I’M WRONG TO SOME EXTENT.”JAMIE BABB, WHO PUT HERSELF ON THE MAP 1999 WH BUT I’M A CHEERLEAR, THOUGHT THE DTRY WOULD CHANGE WHEN BROKEBACK MOUNTA ME OUT 2005—BUT SHE TOO STILL NS TO THE SAME ROADBLOCKS THAT PERSISTED THE 90S. “IT’S SAD THAT THE HOLLYWOOD RPORATE MACHE, WHICH IS VERY MUCH QUEER AS FAR GLBT WORKG THE DTRY . . . ARE STILL TIMIDATED BY THE BOTTOM LE AND WORRIED THAT PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO WATCH QUEER STORI WHEN THAT LSON HAS BEEN, I THOUGHT, LEARNED TIME AND TIME AGA.”LGBT MOVI ARE STILL TOO OFTEN PIGEONHOLED AS “NICHE” ENTERTAMENT. JT KELLY HAD A “HEO REALIZATN” TO THAT EFFECT DURG THE FIRST FANCG MEETGS FOR HIS 2015 FILM I AM MICHAEL, STARRG JAM FRAN AS A GAY MAN WHO BE AN ANTI-GAY CHRISTIAN PASTOR. COMPANI WOULD SAY, “WE JT DID A GAY FILM LAST YEAR AND DIDN’T DO WELL.” HE RELLS THKG, “WOULD SOMEONE SAY WE DID A STRAIGHT FILM LAST YEAR AND DIDN’T DO WELL?”ELIZA HTMAN, APPROACHG THE GENRE AS A HETEROSEXUAL FILMMAKER, WAS UGHT OFF GUARD WH THE REACTN TO HER 2017 SUNDANCE SELECTN BEACH RATS. SHE EXPLORED “ADOLCENT FEMALE OBSSNS” WH HER FEATURE BUT, IT FELT LIKE LOVE—BUT WHEN SHE TOOK A MORE MASCULE APPROACH TO THE SAME NCEPT, WAS DISMISSED BY STG DIRECTORS AS THE ONE “WH ALL THE GAY SEX.”“IT WAS A LTLE NCERNG THAT THAT WAS WHAT PEOPLE WERE REACTG TO,” SHE SAYS, “BEE I THOUGHT THE FILM HAD A LOT MORE PTH THAN THAT. BUT I THK PEOPLE ARE A LOT MORE PROTECTIVE OF YOUNG TALENT, AND I THK THAT THERE ARE STILL STIGMAS AROUND WHAT KD OF ROL PEOPLE SHOULD AND SHOULDN’T PLAY.” BRISH ACTOR HARRIS DICKSON, WHO STARS BEACH RATS, HAD TO ASK HIS REPRENTATN TO BACK DOWN WHEN THEY “PHED BACK VERY HARD AGAST THE NUDY AND THE NTENT” OF THE STORY. HTMAN UNRSTANDS THEIR RPONSE TO SOME EXTENT—’S “THEIR JOB [TO] PROTECT THEIR CLIENTS”—BUT SHE ALSO BELIEV “THERE’S STILL A LOT OF TABOOS AROUND MALE NUDY AND MALE SEXUALY THAT EXIST FILM.”AS A TRANS NATIVE AMERIN WOMAN, SYDNEY FREELAND WAS TOLD THAT HER 2014 FEATURE DNKTOWN’S FT WAS A “NICHE OF A NICHE.” SHE LOOSELY BASED THE NCEPT ON HER OWN EXPERIENCE LIVG ON A NAVAJO RERVATN NEW MEXI, BUT MANY FANCIERS CLAIMED “THERE ISN’T A MARKET FOR THIS, PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO SEE THIS, PEOPLE AREN’T TERTED THIS, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.” AHN, ONE OF THE MOST LD BREAKOUTS OF 2016’S SUNDANCE FILM FTIVAL, FACED SIAR REMARKS, WHICH SENT HIM TO KICKSTARTER FOR HIS DIRECTORIAL BUT ABOUT A CLOSETED MAN A SMALL KOREAN-AMERIN MUNY. “WE ULDN’T EVEN GET THE MONEY TO GO THROUGH PREPRODUCTN,” HE SAYS.AND THOUGH TV GENERALLY HAS A REPUTATN FOR BEG RISKIER AND MORE CREATOR-IENDLY THAN FILM, BABB—WHO HELMED EPISOS OF THE L WORD AND LOOKG, AMONG A LENGTHY LIST OF SHOWS—BELIEV TELEVISN IS ALSO GOG BACKWARDS. “I LOVE TRANSPARENT AND THAT’S A GREAT SHOW WH QUEER CHARACTERS, FOR SURE, BUT THERE SHOULD BE 10 OF THEM NOW,” SHE SAYS.BABB HAS TRIED TO GET THREE DIFFERENT QUEER-ORIENTED SERI OFF THE GROUND OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS. “I’M GETTG THE TOP MEETGS WH THE HEAD OF SHOWTIME, THE HEAD OF NETFLIX, THE HEAD OF HBO,” SHE SAYS. BUT A GREEN LIGHT REMAS ELIVE. THE CLOST SHE ME WAS WH AN ADAPTATN OF INGRID JUNGERMANN’S WEB SERI F TO 7TH, A CURB YOUR ENTHIASM-STYLE LBIAN EDY THAT “TALKS ABOUT QUEER CULTURE OM THE SI AND MAK FUN OF .” SHOWTIME ORRED A SCRIPT, BUT SHE SAYS THE PROJECT NEVER MOVED FORWARD. THE GENERAL RPONSE, SHE SAYS, WAS, “OH, IF ’S A LBIAN SHOW, IS THERE GONNA BE A LOT OF HOT SEX? IT’S SUCH A NICHE.”MOONLIGHT GROSSED $65 LN WORLDWI ON A $1.5 LN PRODUCTN BUDGET, BUT THE NSENS STILL SEEMS TO BE THAT FANCIERS DON’T SEE AN DIENCE FOR THE FILMS BEYOND THE LGBTQ MUNY. WHEN THEY DON’T SEE AN DIENCE, THEY DON’T SEE A PROF. WHEN ASKED TO SCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT STAGE OF FILM VELOPMENT, SACHS DON’T NEED TO MULL HIS ANSWER. “CAPAL,” HE SAYS. “VERY SIMPLY, PALISM MAK THE CREATN OF WORK FOR MARGALIZED MUNI DIFFICULT.”AND PAL IS WHY HOLLYWOOD, SPE THE PRENCE OF LGBTQ EXECUTIV, STILL LARGELY NSIRS THE VISIBILY OF THE CHARACTERS TO BE A RISK. TAKE BETY AND THE BEAST, FOR EXAMPLE. OUT OF S $1.25 BILLN GROSS, $85.8 LN ME OM CHA, $37.5 LN ME OM SOUTH KOREA, AND $14.6 LN ME OM RSIA—TERRORI WH CENSORSHIP LAWS THAT N TARGET LGBTQ NTENT. “THE TRAGEDY IS THAT THIS MOMENT WHERE WE THK WE’RE MAKG PROGRS, WHICH WE HAVE DOMTILLY, THERE IS AN ERASURE UNTRI LIKE, LET’S START WH RSIA,” SACHS EXPLAS. “I ED TO GO TO THE GAY FTIVALS THERE, AND THE LAST TIME I SENT MY FILMS THERE THE FTIVALS HAD BOMB SR TWO OR THREE TIM—AND THAT’S ONE STAGE.”KELLY LLS “A B SANE” WHEN HE’S TOLD BEFORE EVEN SHOOTG A QUEER-LEANG FILM THAT “ WILL FOR SURE NOT SELL THE 40 MARKETS,” BUT HE’S ALSO NOT NVCED HOMOPHOBIA IS THE SOLE TERRENT. HE ALSO C THE “TRAGIC STATE OF THE DIE FILM WORLD”—AND HE’S RIGHT, TO SOME EXTENT. THE MARKET HAS CHANGED SCE THE EARLY 2000S, WHEN STUDS BEGAN PHG THE STORI TO SPECIALTY DIVISNS LIKE FOC FEATUR AND FOX SEARCHLIGHT—AND GIVG THEM SMALLER BUDGETS. “I’M TRYG TO BE REALISTIC STEAD OF JT PLAG THAT ’S HARR TO GET GAY FILMS MA,” KELLY SAYS, “EVEN THOUGH IS, AND EVEN THOUGH ANNOYS ME EVERY DAY.”MOST POPULARTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWBY TARA ARIANOWELE TO SALTBURN’S TWISTED GOTHIC TALEBY REBEC FORDWH MATRO, LEONARD BERNSTE’S LEGACY AND LOV FALLY H THE BIG SCREENBY REBEC FORDADDG TO THE HEADACHE OF FANCG AND DISTRIBUTN IS MARKETG. “THERE IS A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO FD [LGBTQ FILMS] WHO HAVE THE APPETE TO FD , BUT YOU’RE NOT GONNA GET THE MARKETG PH THAT ALL THE STUD MOVI GET BEE ’S SUCH BIG BS NOW,” BABB SAYS. FILMS LIKE MOONLIGHT, THE IMATN GAME, AND CAROL DID GET WI PROMOTN, BUT THEY WERE ALSO AWARDS SEASON NTENRS. FOR SMALLER RELEAS, “Y, YOU N GET DISTRIBUTN ON NETFLIX OR AMAZON OR SUNDANCE SELECTS, IFC, WHATEVER—BUT YOU’RE NOT GONNA GET ANY MARKETG BEHD ,” BABB EXPLAS.AND THAT’S ASSUMG A FILM IS ACTUALLY SCREENED THEATERS—BEE AS AHN LEARNED WH SPA NIGHT, “ONCE YOU GET A DISTRIBUTOR, ’S NOT LIKE YOU’RE GUARANTEED TO PLAY THEATERS. THE THEATERS THEMSELV HAVE TO CHOOSE WHAT THEY WANT TO SCREEN, AND I HAD NO IA THAT’S HOW WORKED.”THE HOME TURF WAR NTU WH THE MPAA. LOVE IS STRANGE REIGNED QUTNS OF HOMOPHOBIA WHEN THE FILM, STARRG JOHN LHGOW AND ALED MOLA, WAS BRAND WH AN R-RATG FOR STRONG LANGUAGE. “THAT FILM ULDN'T BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR A YOUNG DIENCE,” SACHS SAYS. THE R-RATG FOR 2014’S PRI, THE STORY OF GAY ACTIVISTS TEAMG UP WH STRIKG MERS 1984 WAL, CED A SIAR NTROVERSY, AND HARVEY WESTE VERY PUBLICLY NTTED THE RATG (AND WON) FOR THIS YEAR’S 3 GENERATNS, ABOUT A TRANS TEENAGER.“I’D FD IENDS OF ME WH 15-YEAR-OLD KIDS NOT TAKG THEM TO THE MOVIE [BEE] THEY ASSUMED THE NTENT WOULD SOMEHOW BE DISPTIVE TO THEIR CHILDREN BEE OF THE R-RATG,” SACHS RELLS OF HIS EXPERIENCE, “WHICH WAS JT KD OF TRAGIC ON SOME LEVEL.” THE DIRECTOR OBJECTS TO THE WAY THE RATGS BOARD OPERAT: “LERALLY, THE MEMBERS OF THE MPAA HAD TO BE MARRIED PEOPLE TO REPRENT A KD OF FAY VALUE,” HE SAYS, REFERRG TO A POT MA KIRBY DICK’S 2006 DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE MPAA, THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED. “THIS IS DISGTG.”MOST POPULARTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWBY TARA ARIANOWELE TO SALTBURN’S TWISTED GOTHIC TALEBY REBEC FORDWH MATRO, LEONARD BERNSTE’S LEGACY AND LOV FALLY H THE BIG SCREENBY REBEC FORDIT’S STILL POSSIBLE TO FD SUPPORT FOR QUEER STORI THE DTRY. AHN, FOR ONE, POTS TO MARC HU, AN OPENLY GAY EXECUTIVE AT STRAND RELEASG WHO ADVOTED FOR HIS FILM. BUT IF NOT FOR SACHS’S “ALTERNATE UNIVERSE” OF DIVIDUALS HE ULD RELY UPON OUTSI THE TRADNAL FILMMAKG SPHERE, HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE LOVE IS STRANGE. IN FACT, ALL OF THE DIRECTORS FOUND HOPE BY BUILDG THEIR OWN WORLDS AND FDG THEIR OWN DIENC. AHN, FREELAND, AND HTMAN WERE SUPPORTED THROUGH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS LIKE THE SUNDANCE LABS AND CEREACH, WHILE KELLY FED HIS OWN PATH WH THE BLSG OF G VAN SANT, WH WHOM HE WORKED ON 2008’S MILK. HE’S TEAMG UP WH JAM FRAN ONCE MORE FOR A BPIC OF J.T. LEROY.AS A MEMBER OF QUEER ART, A NON-PROF SUPPORTG LGBTQ VOIC FILM, VISUAL ARTS, PERFORMANCE, AND LERATURE, SACHS IS TRYG TO CREATE THIS SORT OF UNIVERSE ON A SYSTEMATIC LEVEL. “I THK WHAT IS IMPORTANT—AND IS STILL POSSIBLE—IS THAT ARTISTS TAKE RISKS, AND THOSE RISKS ARE BOTH PERSONAL AND FANCIAL. AND TO BE BRAVE ENOUGH TO TAKE RISKS IS WHAT HAS CREATED A HISTORY OF QUEER CEMA,” HE SAYS.“I DON’T THK ’S GOG TO BE THE MASTREAM THAT’S GOG TO DO THE WORK,” AHN NOT OF LGBTQ REPRENTATN. “I THK ’S MORE A GRASSROOTS-Y THG, AND JT HAS TO KEEP BUILDG AND BUILDG.” WHEN TO SEEG REAL CHANGE MASTREAM HOLLYWOOD, HE PREDICTS, “I THK THERE HAS TO BE A UPLE MORE MOONLIGHTS.”13 DAZZLG ACTORS WHO MA THEIR MOVIE DEBUTS 20161 / 13CHEVRONCHEVRONCOURTY OF A24.ANYA TAYLOR-JOY, THE WCHWH ONLY AN UNCREDED APPEARANCE VAMPIRE AMY ON HER LIST OF FILM APPEARANC, ANYA TAYLOR-JOY MA AN ENTRANCG MAJOR BUT THE SPELLBDG HORROR FILM THE WCH.NICK ROMANO
• 'MOONLIGHT' REVIEW: TO BE YOUNG, GAY, BLACK -- AND OUT

‘IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE VULNERABLE’: HOW MOONLIGHT REFLECTS BEG A BLACK GAY MAN THE US

Crilly-acclaimed movi like "Milk, " "Brokeback Mounta, " "Boys Don't Cry, " and "Philalphia" all told stori of LGBTQ characters — some real, some fictnal — who fought agast or suffered om of the LGBTQ nome ever snagged the Bt Picture award, though three of the four mentned above rulted actg awards for straight actors who took on gay or transgenr rol. Olson said she was "sadned" to see Cate Blanchett lose the Bt Actrs award, notg that was rare to see a leadg Hollywood actrs portray a lbian character who don't die at the end of the only do "Moonlight" end on an upliftg note, the film breaks barriers by prentg the largely tobgraphil story of a livg, black, gay man told his own words.

Tarell Alv McCraney, whose script "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" was the basis for the film, also took an Amy Award for Bt Adapted Screenplay on Alv McCraney (right) livers a speech on stage next to Barry Jenks after they won the Bt Adapted Screenplay Osr for "Moonlight" at the 89th annual Amy Awards on Febary 26, 2017Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty ImagIn October, McCraney told NBC Out "Moonlight" isn't jt a "gay film" or a "black film, " that would be "disgenuo" to lim the story to jt one tegory. "It is a queer story, is a gay story, is a poverty story — you know what I mean? "For so long people thought bee the story is black or gay then that means 's not mastream, " Onuorah said.

Sunday night's diverse crop of wners — along wh the Amy's recent vatn to hundreds of women and people of lor to jo s homogeno ranks last year — uld potentially help overe that reputatn. Mahershala Ali livers a speech on stage after wng the Osr bt supportg actor "Moonlight" at the 89th Adamy Awards on Febary 26, 2017 Los Ralston / AFP/Getty ImagFor Bahamian-born filmmaker Sekiya Dorsett, 's important to intify "Moonlight" as the barrier-burstg black, gay film that is, bee that means the stori of queer people of lor have a reach like never before.

GAY, BLACK, AND REVOLUTNARY: THE IMPORTANCE OF 'MOONLIGHT'

Dpe renewed lls for people to judge the film on s own importance, the distrsg accatns of rape agast Parker – s star, as well as wrer and director – have meant s red-rpet-to-awards glory is lookg nsirably ls no movie was perhaps ever more sorely required to prevent another #OsrsSoWhe than Moonlight: Barry Jenks’s drama trackg a black gay man at three stag over his film has had an extraordary embrace on the tumn ftival circu; s brilliance has left few stumblg out of the cema unmoved.

It is a sentiment that, oddly, echo that of Parker, who claimed he would never play a gay character bee of the need to “prerve black masculy”. ”In the film, Chiron regulat his behavur orr to prevent people om knowg he’s gay, but the bulli at school and his cel mother are aware of his sexualy and persecute him as a rult. It was a symbol of wretched homophobia (which ntu to plague the film dtry).

The amy lov to give actors shy trophi for “gog gay”  a role, but seldom giv the stori they’re tellg the abily to pete at the same level or even regnize queer actors who portray the stori of their own muny. Rayon (Jared Leto) di “Dallas Buyers Club” so a homophobic whe du n learn a lson about tolerance, whereas Ferg (Stephen Rea) throws up when he learns his girliend (Davidson) is transgenr “The Cryg Game. The real-life John Nash was likely bisexual or gay, but “A Betiful Md” scbs any mentn of the mathematician’s homosexual dallianc.

DON’T STOP AT “MOONLIGHT”—THERE ARE OTHER BLACK QUEER MOVI TO SEEFILMMAKERS WHO VISUALIZE THE WORLDS AND LIVED EXPERIENC OF BLACK LGBT PEOPLE ARE OVERDUE FOR SER ATTENTN. {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}MOVIBY DARNELL L. MOOREAPRIL 20, 2017/3:40 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}MOONLIGHT/A24BY DARNELL L. MOOREAPRIL 20, 2017 / 3:40 PM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"DON’T STOP AT “MOONLIGHT”—THERE ARE OTHER BLACK QUEER MOVI TO SEE","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2017-04-20T19:40:24.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2017-04-20T19:40:24.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"DARNELL L. MOORE","ARTICLESECTN":"MOVI"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THERE ARE FEW RECENT FILMS AS VISUALLY STUNNG AND HONT AS BARRY JENKS’S MOONLIGHT. THE FILM, BASED ON TARELL ALV MCCRANEY’S PLAY, IN MOONLIGHT BLACK BOYS LOOK BLUE, IS A WORK SOME CRICS HAVE NARROWLY SCRIBED AS AN “LGBT FILM.”{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}BUT MOONLIGHT IS MUCH MORE THAN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THE FILM IS A CEMATIC MEDATN ON FAY, BOYHOOD, MANHOOD, TIMACY, IENDSHIP, BETRAYAL, FIVENS, HUMAN PLEXY, AND HOME, TOLD OM THE UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE OF BLACK CHARACTERS NAVIGATG LIFE URBAN AMERI—CHARACTERS AND EXPERIENC OFTEN MISSG THE GENRE OF LGBT FILMS. AND THAT IS WHY I UTN THE BROAR, WHE, LGBT MUNY TO NOT BE SO QUICK TO CLAIM MOONLIGHT AS S OWN JT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN A NEW YORKER REVIEW, HILTON ALS SCRIBED TAIL THE MANY WAYS MOONLIGHT "UNDO OUR EXPECTATNS" OF BLACK REPRENTATN CEMA. BUT ALSO UNRAVELED THE EXPECTATNS OF WHE HOLLYWOOD AFTER THE ALL BLACK ST AND PRODUCTN TEAM WON AN OSR FOR BT PICTURE—ONLY AFTER THE SAME AWARD WAS MISTAKENLY HAND OVER TO THE MOSTLY WHE PRODUCTN TEAM AND ST OF LA LA LAND. THE GAFFE WAS AN IRONIC EXAMPLE OF THE WAYS EXCEPTNAL BLACK FILMS TEND TO BE OVERSHADOWED BY THOSE CENTERG ON WHE CHARACTERS—EVEN IF SUCH FILMS ARE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WHILE WATCHG THE AWARDS, I WASN’T EVEN STUNNED WHEN LA LA LAND WAS ANNOUNCED. ONLY A HANDFUL OF FILMS CENTERED ON BLACK PEOPLE’S LIV, DIRECTED BY BLACK PEOPLE, HAVE ACTUALLY WON BT PICTURE. I WAS MOST SURPRISED WHEN THE MISTAKE WAS CLARIFIED AND MOONLIGHT WAS ANNOUNCED AS THE REAL WNER.GETTY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MOONLIGHT’S WELL-SERVED SUCCS IS E FOR LLECTIVE CELEBRATN. IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS POSSIBLE WHEN BLACK FILMMAKERS SPECIFILLY CREATE ART FOCED NOT ON THE HOLLYWOOD GAZE, BUT ON THE WORLDS OM WHICH BLACK PEOPLE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IT IS ALSO A REMR BLACK MEN WHO FALL LOVE WH OTHER BLACK MEN, LIKE THE TWO MA CHARACTERS MOONLIGHT, ARE NOT NECSARILY BT INTIFIED AS “GAY.” Y, THE FILM PICTS TWO BLACK BOYS-BEG-MEN DISVERG THEIR LOVE, BUT THEIR EXPRSNS OF TIMACY ARE NO QUEERER, NO MORE PROFOUNDLY LIBERATG, THAN THEIR {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MOONLIGHT IS BUT ONE EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE OF BETIFUL AND TRANSFORMATIVE WORK BLACK FILMMAKERS HAVE ALWAYS CREATED, AND NOT JT THIS YEAR. BLACK FILMMAKERS WHOSE WORKS VISUALIZE THE WORLDS AND LIVED EXPERIENC OF BLACK PEOPLE—SOMETIM THROUGH CHARACTERS WHO INTIFY AS LGBT—ON THE BIG SCREEN OR THE INTER ARE OVERDUE FOR PUBLIC PRAISE. AND EVEN IF THE FILM DTRY AND PUBLIC REFE TO OFFER PRAISE, THE WORK OF THE FILMMAKERS IS NO LS BRAVE AND {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}BLACK FILMMAKERS HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN THIS TO BE TE AND HAVE SOUGHT TO “CREATE DANGEROLY,” AS HAIAN-AMERIN STORYTELLER EDWIDGE DANTIT ENURAG, SPE THE WAYS THE AMERIN FILMMAKG DTRY HAS LONG RISTED STORI CENTERED ON BLACKNS AND BLACK LGBT EXPERIENC.TONGU UNTIED/{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}FILMMAKERS CLUDG MARLON RIGGS, THE BLACK GAY CREATOR OF CELEBRATED DOCUMENTARI LIKE TONGU UNTIED (1989) AND BLACK IS... BLACK A’T (1994), AND BLACK LBIAN FILMMAKER CHERYL DUNYE, THE GENI BEHD THE CLASSIC THE WATERMELON WOMAN (1997), ARE ARTISTS WHOSE WORKS CRIQUED THE SHORTSIGHTEDNS OF MOST LGBT BLOCKBTER FILMS, WORKS WHICH TEND TO LACK BLACK REPRENTATN, S BEFORE MOONLIGHT’S WELL-SERVED ACCLAIM. BUT THERE ARE OTHER FILMMAKERS AND FILMS THE PUBLIC SHOULD BE AWARE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}DEE RE’ 2007 FILM, PARIAH, TELLS THE STORY OF BLACK TEENAGE LBIAN ALIKE (APERO ODUYE), GROWG UP AND DISVERG HER QUEERNS BROOKLYN’S FORT GREENE. CHARL B. BRACK’S 2008 DOCUMENTARY DREAM DEFERRED: THE SAKIA GUNN FILM PROJECT REVISS THE MURR OF A 15-YEAR OLD OM NEWARK AND THE RULTG URT BATTLE, AND SHEDS LIGHT ON WHAT MEANS TO LIVE LIFE AS A YOUNG BLACK LBIAN NAVIGATG A WORLD WHERE HOMO-ANTAGONISM MIGHT LERALLY KILL.STUD LIFE/ NEW LIME REPUBLIC {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}CAMPBELL X’S 2012 FILM STUD LIFE ALSO TACKL THE PLEXY OF BLACK LBIAN LIV. AND THERE ARE OTHER FILMS THAT PEER TO BLACK GIRLHOOD, WOMANHOOD AND LBIAN EXPERIENC THE PUBLIC MT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}DIRECTED BY DREAM HAMPTON 2015, THE DOCUMENTARY TREASURE: FROM TRAGEDY TO TRANS JTICE MAPPG A DETRO STORY, CHRONICL THE LIFE AND MURR OF SHELLY “TREASURE” HILLIARD, A 19-YEAR-OLD TRANS WOMAN OM DETRO. SEAN BAKER’S HILAR EDY TANGERE (2015) EXPLOR THE NER LIV OF TRANS WOMEN SEX WORKERS.STILL BLACK/BLACK STAR {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}KORTNEY RYAN ZIEGLER’S GROUNDBREAKG DOCUMENTARY, STILL BLACK: A PORTRA OF BLACK TRANSMEN (2008), IS, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THE ONLY FILM FOCED ON THE LIV OF BLACK TRANS MEN. AND JACQUELE GAR’ FREE CECE, WAS RELEASED 2016, FOUR YEARS AFTER THE FILMS’ NAMAKE, CECE MCDONALD, A BLACK TRANS WOMAN OM MNEAPOLIS TOOK A PLEA AL FOR A SEND-GREE MANSLGHTER CHARGE RECEIVED FOR FENDG HERSELF AGAST A MAN WHO ATTACKED HER WHILE WALKG WH HER IENDS ON A PUBLIC STREET.THE SKNY/ SZYMON SAYZ {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}PATRIK IAN POLKS’ NOAH’S ARC: JUMPG THE BROOM (2008), THE SKNY (2012) AND BLACKBIRD (2014) OFFER NTEMPORARY TAK ON BLACK GAY LOVE AND IENDSHIPS, WHILE DARI CLARK MONROE’S SHORT "SLOW" (2011) ADDRS THE TERSECTNALY OF DISABILY, QUEERNS, AND BLACK LOVE. AND THE WEB SERI NO SHA (2015), IS A TEAR-DRIPPG EDY ABOUT BLACK LGBT LIFE NEW YORK OM CREATIVE AND ROMANTIC PARTNERS SEAN ANTHONY AND TERRY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THERE ARE A PLETHORA OF FILMS CENTERED ON THE LIV OF BLACK PEOPLE WHO LOVE AND FUCK PEOPLE OF THE SAME SEX, BUT WE ABSOLUTELY SERVE MORE. FILMMAKERS N ONLY CREATE MORE WORKS, HOWEVER, IF THEY HAVE THE FANCIAL ROURC AND DTRY SUPPORT TO DO SO. MOONLIGHT WAS THE LOWT-BUDGET FILM TO EVER W THE OSR FOR BT PICTURE. WHILE THAT'S EVINCE OF BARRY JENKS’ ARTISTRY AND GENUY, 'S ALSO DITIVE OF A LARGER PROBLEM: AS LONG AS LIMED ROURC ARE DIRECTED TOWARD BLACK FILMS, AS LONG AS HOLLYWOOD . THKS SUCH FILMS WON'T REACH MASS DIENC, THE DTRY’S WHENS PROBLEM WILL NEVER BE FIXED.NO SHA/SLAY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THANK THE UNIVERSE, THOUGH, FOR THE GENI AND TENACY OF BLACK ARTISTS: NEXT MONTH, THE TORRGTONS ARE LNCHG SLAY TV, AN ONLE PLATFORM FOR ORIGAL NTENT—WEB SHOWS, MOVI, SHORTS, UNSCRIPTED SERI, DOCUMENTARI, MIC, AND MORE—FOCG ON QUEER PEOPLE OF LOR. AND THEY'RE NOT WAG FOR THE MASTREAM AND LGBT FILM DTRI TO GIVE THEIR BLSG. IT'S THAT KD OF DANGEROLY CREATIVE CISN THAT WILL PROPEL BLACK FILMMAKERS, CULTURAL PRODUCERS, AND DIENC {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}BLACK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN READY FOR THE WORKS. BLACK FILMMAKERS HAVE HAD NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO CREATE SPE LIMATNS. IT’S UP TO THE FILM DTRY AND THE LGBT FILM MARKET TO TCH UP, OR S BACK AND WATCH OM BEHD AS BLACK FILMMAKERS NTUE TO PH GREAT AND NECSARY ART TO THE ONT OF THE STAGE WHOUT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

There has been a great al of bate on the subject, but iends of Ron Woodroof, the fun-lovg roo wboy played by Matthew McConghey “Dallas Buyers Club, ” claim he wasn’t the gay basher the movie mak him out to be. Jt three movi wh queer leads have been nomated for bt picture sce 2006 — one of which, “The Imatn Game, ” was cricized for playg down s protagonist’s homosexualy.

McCraney is gay and Jenks is straight, but Chiron’s story belongs to them both. The latt Amy Award for Bt Picture was earned by a film pictg the story of a poor, gay, black boy South Florida. It was not the kd of muny which beg gay would be okay.

Beg a person of lor and queer is already a hard batn to showse our morn media, and to me, addg a harsh soc-enomic background and a movg storyle centered around gay love seemed to be an impossible feat. Through Moonlight, the gay storyle is told scerely s grand, timate moments, as well as s twisted, melancholic on. Hollywood, which has historilly obscured, erased, and failed to honor LGBT stori, gave s hight honor to a g-of-age film about a black gay youth.

‘MOONLIGHT' IS NOT JT ANOTHER BLACK GAY MOVIE

Brokeback Mounta, Milk, Carol, Philalphia -- none of the queer classics achieved what Moonlight did, which was to break the gay glass ceilg for Bt mastream media's reactn is sadly predictable. "Graham, the 64-year-old outspoken nservative Christian and son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, took to his Facebook page on Tuday to ment on the fact that the Osr for "Bt Picture" went to a movie about the g of age of a gay Ain-Amerin man.

"From the reviews I have read, 'Moonlight' portrays a young gay Ain-Amerin g of age and stereotyp him as vlent, a dg aler, and a nvict. The g-of-age film "Moonlight" is gettg cril acclaim and ser Osr buzz for tacklg the subject of gay black youth livg Miami. Related: 'Moonlight' Explor Often Unseen Gay, Black Male ExperienceOthers are hopeful that the aftermath of Print Barack Obama's historic ph for same-sex marriage, there has been some steady growth wh the black muny support of LGBT rights.

THE PARTICULARLY LGBT DRAMA OF THE ‘MOONLIGHT’ BT PICTURE OSR VICTORYWINNERMOONLIGHT’ WON BT PICTURE AT LAST NIGHT’S OSRS, WH EXPLOSIVE DRAMA ATTACHED—ECHOG THE NATURE OF LGBT POLIL ADVANC RECENT YEARS. TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED APR. 11, 2017 4:07PM EDT / PUBLISHED FEB. 27, 2017 2:11PM EST AS CHAOS FLOWED THE CLOSG MOMENTS OF THE OSRS TELEST LAST NIGHT AROUND MOONLIGHT’S VICTORY AS BT PICTURE AFTER WARREN BEATTY’S WCG FLUB MOMENTARILY PRIVED THEM OF , A FEW THOUGHTS OCCURRED TO THIS VIEWER.OVERARCHG ALL OF THOSE CLASHG THOUGHTS, SPOOLG OM THE GENERAL WTF-ERY OF THE WHOLE BACLE: WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE MAKE WAY, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY, AND MAKE SPACE AND TIME FOR SOMEONE OM MOONLIGHT TO HAVE THEIR FULL AND PROPER MOMENT UP THERE? THIS IS THEIR MOMENT, NOT YOURS, SO ALL OF YOU—CLUDG SMIRKG JIMMY KIMMEL—JT GET OFF THAT STAGE. ABC, HOLD YOUR LOL NEWS BROADSTS. WE N WA.IT WASN’T JT THAT A BLACK, LGBT-THEMED MOVIE WAS MAKG HISTORY WNG BT PICTURE, WAS THAT WAS BEG ROBBED OF THIS GLOR MOMENT THE CHAOS OF A MOMENT OF ERROR. MOONLIGHT’S OSRS VICTORY IS A CULTURAL AND POLIL LANDMARK, AND WAS NOT ALLOWED TO BLOOM AS SHOULD.INSTEAD, HOLLYWOOD IMMEDIATELY STARTED GG ON S VERY OWN ZAPR MYSTERY—AND YET ANOTHER SIGNIFINT LGBT CULTURAL MOMENT ME LOAD WH EXPLOSIVE DRAMA. AN LGBT VICTORY IS RARELY A LM, CLEAN ONE—“BATTLG FOR LGBT RIGHTS,” AS THE PHRASE GO, IS PRECISELY THAT AND HAS BOUGHT MANY OF S FIGHTERS SRS. AND SO WAS LAST NIGHT, TOO. IF THIS WERE A MOVIE SELF, THE DIENCE AT HOME WAS CHEERG THE TERVENTN OF JORDAN HOROWZ, LA LA LAND’S PRODUCER, HOLDG ALOFT THE RRECT PIECE OF RD WH MOONLIGHT’S NAME ON , AS IF—GRAVE JTICE PERPETRATED—HE HAD THE PROOF OF THE SAME, AND WOULD NOW AVENGE .THE STAK WERE EVEN ODR FOR THE ADMIRABLE HOROWZ, AS HIS FILM HAD BEEN RRECTLY BADGED AS THE WNER, AND HERE HE WAS SAYG THE NAME OF THE REAL WNER SO DAMN CLEARLY. HIS FILM HADN’T WON, AND THAT HE WANTED HIS “IENDS” OF MOONLIGHT TO LLECT WHAT WAS RIGHTFULLY THEIRS WAS MOVG AND CHEERG. HOROWZ’S OUTRAGE, AND ALSO HIS PRI MOONLIGHT, WAS PALPABLE, AND HE ALSO KNEW THE TELEST WAS NNG OUT OF TIME TO RIGHT .IT WAS A LOVELY MOMENT BEE WAS A MOMENT OF TE, HUMAN CENCY. AND BEE THERE ARE SO FEW OF THOSE TO BEHOLD THE DAYS, STCK HOME.OK, THIS IS MOVI NOT POLICS, BUT HOROWZ’S TERMATN TO DO THE RIGHT THG, FOR THE RIGHT REASON, AND WH A TONE OF VOICE THAT ROUND WH RRECTG AN JTICE WAS STIRRG AND RONANT: A GOOD GUY DO GOOD MOMENT.THEN THERE WAS AR WARREN BEATTY, WHO THE GAP OF TIME TOOK FOR THE SHOCKED ST AND CREW OF MOONLIGHT TO REACH THE STAGE CID THAT THIS WAS THE BT MOMENT TO STATE HIS MEA CULPA. ONE FELT FOR BEATTY—HE HAD BEEN HAND THE WRONG ENVELOPE, OM WHENCE THE NFN FLOWED, AND HE WANTED TO EXPLA HIMSELF BUT ULDN’T—BUT ULD SOMEBODY NOT HAVE GENTLY SHUNTED HIM ASI AND LET BARRY JENKS OR TARELL ALV MCCRANEY HAVE THEIR VICTOR MOMENT, UNENCUMBERED.THE MANNER OF MOONLIGHT’S BT PICTURE VICTORY, THE MS AND DRAMA OF THAT VICTORY, IS TODAY AT LEAST—THOUGH PERHAPS NOT FOREVER—AS MEMORABLE AS THE ARTISTRY BEHD S SUCCS. HOPEFULLY WILL LEAD MORE PEOPLE TO SEE . IT IS HEARTENG TO SEE SO MANY HEADL TODAY HAMMERG HOME S BRILLIANCE.THERE IS ALSO AN ODD POLIL SYMMETRY TO LAST NIGHT’S EVENTS. LGBT RIGHTS ADVANC HAVE BEEN SIARLY DRAMATIC RECENT YEARS, TENDG TO FALL JT BEFORE PRI LATE JUNE, AND AFTER YEARS OF EMOTNAL, DITED POLICKG AGAST A PREVAILG BACKDROP OF BIGOTRY AND DISCRIMATN.ON JUNE 24, 2011, MARRIAGE EQUALY WAS LEGALIZED NEW YORK. ON JUNE 26, 2013, THE SUPREME COURT CLARED DOMA UNNSTUTNAL A 5-4 VOTE; AND TWO YEARS LATER ON THE SAME DATE, THE SUPREME COURT AGA LED 5-4 THAT THE CONSTUTN GUARANTE A RIGHT TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.THE DRAMATIC, PIVOTAL POLIL MOMENTS ECHOED MOONLIGHT’S W LAST NIGHT. IT MAY HAVE BEEN AN ADMISTRATIVE ERROR, BUT THE JTICE AND RIGHTG OF THAT JTICE WAS A MICROSM OF THE STGGL THAT MOONLIGHT EVOK; OF HOW S LEAD CHARACTER TO TAKE HIS PLACE THE WORLD, TO LAY HIS CLAIM TO LOVE, BELONGG, AND SELF-RPECT.MOONLIGHT, A MOVIE ABOUT THE HARD LIFE, AND EVEN HARR PATH TO SELF-ACCEPTANCE, OF A BLACK, GAY MAN, WON BT PICTURE A YEAR WHEN THE MARGALIZED HAVE NEVER FELT MORE MARGALIZED, AND WHERE MORY RIGHTS HAVE NEVER FELT MORE IMPERILED THE UNED STAT. ITS VICTORY AS THAT N OF DRAMATIC POLIL VICTORI ON THE EV OF PRI—AND THOSE VICTORI ALMOST 50 YEARS AFTER THE STONEWALL RTS—FEEL EVER MORE EQUIVOL.IF THE FIGHT IS FAR OM OVER, MOONLIGHT’S VERY LERAL FIGHT—EVEN HAVG WON THE DAMN OSR—TO TAKE S PLACE ON THE STAGE, TO CLAIM S RIGHTFUL REWARD, BE EVEN MORE SYMBOLILLY IMPORTANT. ITS VICTORY IS AN IMPLIC BODY-BLOW TO THE FORC OF BIGOTRY SEEKG TO DO HARM TO, AND ROLL BACK THE RIGHTS OF, MORI. MCCRANEY HIMSELF, LLECTG THE OSR FOR ADAPTED SCREENPLAY, SAID, “THIS GO OUT TO ALL THOSE BLACK AND BROWN BOYS AND GIRLS AND NON-GENR-NFORMG WHO DON'T SEE THEMSELV. WE'RE TRYG TO SHOW YOU YOU AND . SO THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THIS IS FOR YOU.”LATER SUNDAY NIGHT, ON E! AND ABC’S “AFTER-SHOW PARTY” PROGRAMS, THE MOONLIGHT ST AND CREW DID APPEAR, AND LOOKED AS SHELL-SHOCKED AS ONE MIGHT EXPECT, AND CERTALY AS MUCH AS HOSTS AND VIEWERS AT HOME FELT.BUT THEY DID NOT MIRROR, AT LEAST ON MERA, THE SHOCK-AND-AWE TON OF HOSTS, TRYG TO MAKE SENSE OF THE ENVELOPE ERROR. INSTEAD, DIRECTOR BARRY JENKS GRACLY ACCEPTED NGRATULATNS, AND SOUGHT TO FOC ATTENTN ON THEIR PRI THE FILM. AND AS THAT FILM WILL NO DOUBT HEAD BACK TO CEMAS, SURFG S RIGHTFUL BT PICTURE VICTORY, THAT MAY BE A NNY STRATEGY.STILL, MOONLIGHT DID NOT HAVE S BT PICTURE MOMENT ON THE OSRS STAGE, AND THAT GAP OF REGNN IS ALSO SYMBOLIC WHEN ONE NSIRS S SUBJECT MATTER AND CULTURAL IMPORT. NOT ONLY DID MOONLIGHT MISS OUT ON S MOMENT THE SUN, THE WORLD DID NOT HEAR OM S MAKERS THAT MOMENT EHER—THEIR JOY, PRI, AND MSAG—PERSONAL, POLIL, AND OTHERWISE—TO THE WORLD WATCHG.IF THE MS OF THE CLAIMG OF S PRIZE SEEMS OUTRAGEO AND OUT OF THE ORDARY TO YOU, WASN’T SO OUTRAGEO—NOT AT THE BACK OF OUR MDS—TO LGBT VIEWERS WATCHG, MIRRORG AS DID THE VEXED TRAJECTORY OF LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS ADVANC THEMSELV. THE MISTAKE MAY HAVE BEEN CLERIL AND SILLY, BUT THE SIGNIFINCE OF MOONLIGHT, AND S OWN BATTLE TO CLAIM S PLACE, STANDS FOR A BIGGER BATTLE.IF SEEMS NUTTY THAT THE WRONG FILM WAS NAMED AS BT PICTURE THOSE BIZARRE FEW SENDS, ALSO NSIR HOW OUTRAGEO IS THAT, 2017, THE VICTORY OF A BLACK, LGBT-THEMED FILM AT THE OSRS SHOULD BE NSIRED HISTORIC. BUT IS, AND THE MAGNU OF THAT MOMENT WAS LOST LAST NIGHT—UNFIVABLY SO.IF YOU ARE OUTRAGED FOR MOONLIGHT—THE LOWT-GROSSG BT PICTURE NOMEE OF THIS YEAR—THEN SUPPORT AND OTHERS LIKE . MOONLIGHT’S VICTORY MEANS, ALONGSI THE THREATS POSED TO LGBT EQUALY, THAT THE POLIL AND CULTURAL STGGLE GO ON.LET THE VICTORY OF MOONLIGHT MEAN MORE FILMS SWIM S WAKE. AND IF THOSE FILMS ARE GOOD ENOUGH, LET THEM HAVE THEIR MOMENT OF CLEAN, UNMSED-UP VICTORY PRIMETIME ON OSRS NIGHT. MOONLIGHT DID NOT, BUT S VICTORY MAY YET PROVE RONANT FOR ALL THE BT REASONS. TIM TEEMAN

"This may be optimistic, but I don’t thk bee of the ntent 's gog to be hard to market, " said BET entertament edor Clay Cane, who directed the documentary, "Holler If You Hear Me: Black and Gay the Church, " about some Ain-Amerins' fah-based bias agast the LGBT muny.

As "woke" as some members of the Amerin public purports self to be, there is still some reticence — even a liberal bastn like Hollywood — to fully embrace gay romance on screen, and one between two leads of lor. "It's easy for (Osr voters) to market a 'Capote, ' which surrounds a murr a small town, or a film like 'Milk' (about gay polician Harvey Milk) that you know is gog to end an assassatn, " he add.

EVEN A POST-MOONLIGHT WORLD, IT’S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A GAY MOVIE MAAS PRI MONTH DRAWS TO A CLOSE, SIX LGBTQ DIRECTORS REFLECT ON THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATNS OF GETTG THEIR WORK THROUGH THE SYSTEM.BY NICK ROMANOJUNE 27, 2017CLOCKWISE OM LEFT, JT KELLY'S I AM MICHAEL, 2015, ELIZA HTMAN'S BEACH RATS, 2017, ANDREW AHN'S SPA NIGHT, 2016, JAMIE BABB'S BUT I’M A CHEERLEAR, 2000, IRA SACHS' LOVE IS STRANGE, 2014, SYDNEY FREELAND'S DNKTOWN’S FT, 2014.CLOCKWISE OM LEFT, OM EVERETT COLLECTN, URTY OF SUNDANCE FILM FTIVAL, OM STRAND RELEASG/EVERETT COLLECTN, OM LNS GATE/EVERETT COLLECTN, OM SONY PICTUR/EVERETT COLLECTN, OM TOY GUN FILMS.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEHOLLYWOOD IS HAVG AN “EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT”—A PHRASE ADVERTENTLY ED BY DIRECTOR BILL CONDON THIS WTER AND OVERBLOWN BY MEDIA ATTENTN. RECENT FILMS LIKE BETY AND THE BEAST AND POWER RANGERS HAVE “BROKEN GROUND” OR “MA HISTORY”—ACRDG TO THE HEADL, ANYWAY—AS MAJOR HOLLYWOOD RELEAS FEATURG OPENLY QUEER CHARACTERS. UNFORTUNATELY, THEIR “G OUT” SCEN HAVE MOSTLY BEEN LOST TRANSLATN.“I WATCHED ALIEN: COVENANT AND THERE’S A GAY UPLE , AND I HAD NO IA,” SPA NIGHT DIRECTOR ANDREW AHN TELLS VANY FAIR, LGHG. “AND I LOOK FOR GAY SH ALL THE TIME. I N’T BELIEVE I MISSED .”GLAAD’S FIFTH ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD REPORT RD NFIRMS THAT THE GAY MUNY IS STILL DRAMATILLY UNRREPRENTED MASTREAM MOVI: JT 23 OF THE 125 FILMS RELEASED BY STUDS 2016 FEATURED LGBTQ CHARACTERS, AND 10 OF THE 23 GAVE THEM LS THAN A MUTE OF SCREEN TIME. THE DIE REALM HAS BEE OUR PRIMARY SOURCE FOR MORE DIVERSY ON SCREEN. IT’S WHAT MA POSSIBLE FOR MOONLIGHT—A FILM ABOUT A QUEER PERSON OF LOR—TO W BT PICTURE AT THE OSRS. YET THAT SPACE WH S OWN PLITNS, AS MOONLIGHT DIRECTOR BARRY JENKS HAS DISCSED AT LENGTH.FOR SOMEONE LIKE LOVE IS STRANGE DIRECTOR IRA SACHS, WHO’S BEEN THE BS FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, N FEEL “NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE” TO MAKE LGBTQ FILMS. “I’M ENURAGED BY ANYONE WHO MANAG TO MAKE A FILM WH LGBTQ NTENT THAT FURTHERS THE VISIBILY,” HE SAYS OF MOVI LIKE MOONLIGHT AND THIS YEAR’S CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, WHICH IS ALREADY GENERATG AWARDS BUZZ. “I NEED THE VISIBILY AS MUCH AS ANYONE WHO’S STARTG OR BEGNG, AND AS MUCH AS THE DIENCE. IT’S A REMR THAT ’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE, THAT I’M WRONG TO SOME EXTENT.”JAMIE BABB, WHO PUT HERSELF ON THE MAP 1999 WH BUT I’M A CHEERLEAR, THOUGHT THE DTRY WOULD CHANGE WHEN BROKEBACK MOUNTA ME OUT 2005—BUT SHE TOO STILL NS TO THE SAME ROADBLOCKS THAT PERSISTED THE 90S. “IT’S SAD THAT THE HOLLYWOOD RPORATE MACHE, WHICH IS VERY MUCH QUEER AS FAR GLBT WORKG THE DTRY . . . ARE STILL TIMIDATED BY THE BOTTOM LE AND WORRIED THAT PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO WATCH QUEER STORI WHEN THAT LSON HAS BEEN, I THOUGHT, LEARNED TIME AND TIME AGA.”LGBT MOVI ARE STILL TOO OFTEN PIGEONHOLED AS “NICHE” ENTERTAMENT. JT KELLY HAD A “HEO REALIZATN” TO THAT EFFECT DURG THE FIRST FANCG MEETGS FOR HIS 2015 FILM I AM MICHAEL, STARRG JAM FRAN AS A GAY MAN WHO BE AN ANTI-GAY CHRISTIAN PASTOR. COMPANI WOULD SAY, “WE JT DID A GAY FILM LAST YEAR AND DIDN’T DO WELL.” HE RELLS THKG, “WOULD SOMEONE SAY WE DID A STRAIGHT FILM LAST YEAR AND DIDN’T DO WELL?”ELIZA HTMAN, APPROACHG THE GENRE AS A HETEROSEXUAL FILMMAKER, WAS UGHT OFF GUARD WH THE REACTN TO HER 2017 SUNDANCE SELECTN BEACH RATS. SHE EXPLORED “ADOLCENT FEMALE OBSSNS” WH HER FEATURE BUT, IT FELT LIKE LOVE—BUT WHEN SHE TOOK A MORE MASCULE APPROACH TO THE SAME NCEPT, WAS DISMISSED BY STG DIRECTORS AS THE ONE “WH ALL THE GAY SEX.”“IT WAS A LTLE NCERNG THAT THAT WAS WHAT PEOPLE WERE REACTG TO,” SHE SAYS, “BEE I THOUGHT THE FILM HAD A LOT MORE PTH THAN THAT. BUT I THK PEOPLE ARE A LOT MORE PROTECTIVE OF YOUNG TALENT, AND I THK THAT THERE ARE STILL STIGMAS AROUND WHAT KD OF ROL PEOPLE SHOULD AND SHOULDN’T PLAY.” BRISH ACTOR HARRIS DICKSON, WHO STARS BEACH RATS, HAD TO ASK HIS REPRENTATN TO BACK DOWN WHEN THEY “PHED BACK VERY HARD AGAST THE NUDY AND THE NTENT” OF THE STORY. HTMAN UNRSTANDS THEIR RPONSE TO SOME EXTENT—’S “THEIR JOB [TO] PROTECT THEIR CLIENTS”—BUT SHE ALSO BELIEV “THERE’S STILL A LOT OF TABOOS AROUND MALE NUDY AND MALE SEXUALY THAT EXIST FILM.”AS A TRANS NATIVE AMERIN WOMAN, SYDNEY FREELAND WAS TOLD THAT HER 2014 FEATURE DNKTOWN’S FT WAS A “NICHE OF A NICHE.” SHE LOOSELY BASED THE NCEPT ON HER OWN EXPERIENCE LIVG ON A NAVAJO RERVATN NEW MEXI, BUT MANY FANCIERS CLAIMED “THERE ISN’T A MARKET FOR THIS, PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO SEE THIS, PEOPLE AREN’T TERTED THIS, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.” AHN, ONE OF THE MOST LD BREAKOUTS OF 2016’S SUNDANCE FILM FTIVAL, FACED SIAR REMARKS, WHICH SENT HIM TO KICKSTARTER FOR HIS DIRECTORIAL BUT ABOUT A CLOSETED MAN A SMALL KOREAN-AMERIN MUNY. “WE ULDN’T EVEN GET THE MONEY TO GO THROUGH PREPRODUCTN,” HE SAYS.AND THOUGH TV GENERALLY HAS A REPUTATN FOR BEG RISKIER AND MORE CREATOR-IENDLY THAN FILM, BABB—WHO HELMED EPISOS OF THE L WORD AND LOOKG, AMONG A LENGTHY LIST OF SHOWS—BELIEV TELEVISN IS ALSO GOG BACKWARDS. “I LOVE TRANSPARENT AND THAT’S A GREAT SHOW WH QUEER CHARACTERS, FOR SURE, BUT THERE SHOULD BE 10 OF THEM NOW,” SHE SAYS.BABB HAS TRIED TO GET THREE DIFFERENT QUEER-ORIENTED SERI OFF THE GROUND OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS. “I’M GETTG THE TOP MEETGS WH THE HEAD OF SHOWTIME, THE HEAD OF NETFLIX, THE HEAD OF HBO,” SHE SAYS. BUT A GREEN LIGHT REMAS ELIVE. THE CLOST SHE ME WAS WH AN ADAPTATN OF INGRID JUNGERMANN’S WEB SERI F TO 7TH, A CURB YOUR ENTHIASM-STYLE LBIAN EDY THAT “TALKS ABOUT QUEER CULTURE OM THE SI AND MAK FUN OF .” SHOWTIME ORRED A SCRIPT, BUT SHE SAYS THE PROJECT NEVER MOVED FORWARD. THE GENERAL RPONSE, SHE SAYS, WAS, “OH, IF ’S A LBIAN SHOW, IS THERE GONNA BE A LOT OF HOT SEX? IT’S SUCH A NICHE.”MOONLIGHT GROSSED $65 LN WORLDWI ON A $1.5 LN PRODUCTN BUDGET, BUT THE NSENS STILL SEEMS TO BE THAT FANCIERS DON’T SEE AN DIENCE FOR THE FILMS BEYOND THE LGBTQ MUNY. WHEN THEY DON’T SEE AN DIENCE, THEY DON’T SEE A PROF. WHEN ASKED TO SCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT STAGE OF FILM VELOPMENT, SACHS DON’T NEED TO MULL HIS ANSWER. “CAPAL,” HE SAYS. “VERY SIMPLY, PALISM MAK THE CREATN OF WORK FOR MARGALIZED MUNI DIFFICULT.”AND PAL IS WHY HOLLYWOOD, SPE THE PRENCE OF LGBTQ EXECUTIV, STILL LARGELY NSIRS THE VISIBILY OF THE CHARACTERS TO BE A RISK. TAKE BETY AND THE BEAST, FOR EXAMPLE. OUT OF S $1.25 BILLN GROSS, $85.8 LN ME OM CHA, $37.5 LN ME OM SOUTH KOREA, AND $14.6 LN ME OM RSIA—TERRORI WH CENSORSHIP LAWS THAT N TARGET LGBTQ NTENT. “THE TRAGEDY IS THAT THIS MOMENT WHERE WE THK WE’RE MAKG PROGRS, WHICH WE HAVE DOMTILLY, THERE IS AN ERASURE UNTRI LIKE, LET’S START WH RSIA,” SACHS EXPLAS. “I ED TO GO TO THE GAY FTIVALS THERE, AND THE LAST TIME I SENT MY FILMS THERE THE FTIVALS HAD BOMB SR TWO OR THREE TIM—AND THAT’S ONE STAGE.”KELLY LLS “A B SANE” WHEN HE’S TOLD BEFORE EVEN SHOOTG A QUEER-LEANG FILM THAT “ WILL FOR SURE NOT SELL THE 40 MARKETS,” BUT HE’S ALSO NOT NVCED HOMOPHOBIA IS THE SOLE TERRENT. HE ALSO C THE “TRAGIC STATE OF THE DIE FILM WORLD”—AND HE’S RIGHT, TO SOME EXTENT. THE MARKET HAS CHANGED SCE THE EARLY 2000S, WHEN STUDS BEGAN PHG THE STORI TO SPECIALTY DIVISNS LIKE FOC FEATUR AND FOX SEARCHLIGHT—AND GIVG THEM SMALLER BUDGETS. “I’M TRYG TO BE REALISTIC STEAD OF JT PLAG THAT ’S HARR TO GET GAY FILMS MA,” KELLY SAYS, “EVEN THOUGH IS, AND EVEN THOUGH ANNOYS ME EVERY DAY.”MOST POPULARTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWBY TARA ARIANOWELE TO SALTBURN’S TWISTED GOTHIC TALEBY REBEC FORDWH MATRO, LEONARD BERNSTE’S LEGACY AND LOV FALLY H THE BIG SCREENBY REBEC FORDADDG TO THE HEADACHE OF FANCG AND DISTRIBUTN IS MARKETG. “THERE IS A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO FD [LGBTQ FILMS] WHO HAVE THE APPETE TO FD , BUT YOU’RE NOT GONNA GET THE MARKETG PH THAT ALL THE STUD MOVI GET BEE ’S SUCH BIG BS NOW,” BABB SAYS. FILMS LIKE MOONLIGHT, THE IMATN GAME, AND CAROL DID GET WI PROMOTN, BUT THEY WERE ALSO AWARDS SEASON NTENRS. FOR SMALLER RELEAS, “Y, YOU N GET DISTRIBUTN ON NETFLIX OR AMAZON OR SUNDANCE SELECTS, IFC, WHATEVER—BUT YOU’RE NOT GONNA GET ANY MARKETG BEHD ,” BABB EXPLAS.AND THAT’S ASSUMG A FILM IS ACTUALLY SCREENED THEATERS—BEE AS AHN LEARNED WH SPA NIGHT, “ONCE YOU GET A DISTRIBUTOR, ’S NOT LIKE YOU’RE GUARANTEED TO PLAY THEATERS. THE THEATERS THEMSELV HAVE TO CHOOSE WHAT THEY WANT TO SCREEN, AND I HAD NO IA THAT’S HOW WORKED.”THE HOME TURF WAR NTU WH THE MPAA. LOVE IS STRANGE REIGNED QUTNS OF HOMOPHOBIA WHEN THE FILM, STARRG JOHN LHGOW AND ALED MOLA, WAS BRAND WH AN R-RATG FOR STRONG LANGUAGE. “THAT FILM ULDN'T BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR A YOUNG DIENCE,” SACHS SAYS. THE R-RATG FOR 2014’S PRI, THE STORY OF GAY ACTIVISTS TEAMG UP WH STRIKG MERS 1984 WAL, CED A SIAR NTROVERSY, AND HARVEY WESTE VERY PUBLICLY NTTED THE RATG (AND WON) FOR THIS YEAR’S 3 GENERATNS, ABOUT A TRANS TEENAGER.“I’D FD IENDS OF ME WH 15-YEAR-OLD KIDS NOT TAKG THEM TO THE MOVIE [BEE] THEY ASSUMED THE NTENT WOULD SOMEHOW BE DISPTIVE TO THEIR CHILDREN BEE OF THE R-RATG,” SACHS RELLS OF HIS EXPERIENCE, “WHICH WAS JT KD OF TRAGIC ON SOME LEVEL.” THE DIRECTOR OBJECTS TO THE WAY THE RATGS BOARD OPERAT: “LERALLY, THE MEMBERS OF THE MPAA HAD TO BE MARRIED PEOPLE TO REPRENT A KD OF FAY VALUE,” HE SAYS, REFERRG TO A POT MA KIRBY DICK’S 2006 DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE MPAA, THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED. “THIS IS DISGTG.”MOST POPULARTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWBY TARA ARIANOWELE TO SALTBURN’S TWISTED GOTHIC TALEBY REBEC FORDWH MATRO, LEONARD BERNSTE’S LEGACY AND LOV FALLY H THE BIG SCREENBY REBEC FORDIT’S STILL POSSIBLE TO FD SUPPORT FOR QUEER STORI THE DTRY. AHN, FOR ONE, POTS TO MARC HU, AN OPENLY GAY EXECUTIVE AT STRAND RELEASG WHO ADVOTED FOR HIS FILM. BUT IF NOT FOR SACHS’S “ALTERNATE UNIVERSE” OF DIVIDUALS HE ULD RELY UPON OUTSI THE TRADNAL FILMMAKG SPHERE, HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE LOVE IS STRANGE. IN FACT, ALL OF THE DIRECTORS FOUND HOPE BY BUILDG THEIR OWN WORLDS AND FDG THEIR OWN DIENC. AHN, FREELAND, AND HTMAN WERE SUPPORTED THROUGH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS LIKE THE SUNDANCE LABS AND CEREACH, WHILE KELLY FED HIS OWN PATH WH THE BLSG OF G VAN SANT, WH WHOM HE WORKED ON 2008’S MILK. HE’S TEAMG UP WH JAM FRAN ONCE MORE FOR A BPIC OF J.T. LEROY.AS A MEMBER OF QUEER ART, A NON-PROF SUPPORTG LGBTQ VOIC FILM, VISUAL ARTS, PERFORMANCE, AND LERATURE, SACHS IS TRYG TO CREATE THIS SORT OF UNIVERSE ON A SYSTEMATIC LEVEL. “I THK WHAT IS IMPORTANT—AND IS STILL POSSIBLE—IS THAT ARTISTS TAKE RISKS, AND THOSE RISKS ARE BOTH PERSONAL AND FANCIAL. AND TO BE BRAVE ENOUGH TO TAKE RISKS IS WHAT HAS CREATED A HISTORY OF QUEER CEMA,” HE SAYS.“I DON’T THK ’S GOG TO BE THE MASTREAM THAT’S GOG TO DO THE WORK,” AHN NOT OF LGBTQ REPRENTATN. “I THK ’S MORE A GRASSROOTS-Y THG, AND JT HAS TO KEEP BUILDG AND BUILDG.” WHEN TO SEEG REAL CHANGE MASTREAM HOLLYWOOD, HE PREDICTS, “I THK THERE HAS TO BE A UPLE MORE MOONLIGHTS.”13 DAZZLG ACTORS WHO MA THEIR MOVIE DEBUTS 20161 / 13CHEVRONCHEVRONCOURTY OF A24.ANYA TAYLOR-JOY, THE WCHWH ONLY AN UNCREDED APPEARANCE VAMPIRE AMY ON HER LIST OF FILM APPEARANC, ANYA TAYLOR-JOY MA AN ENTRANCG MAJOR BUT THE SPELLBDG HORROR FILM THE WCH.NICK ROMANO

It is an example of what is possible when black filmmakers specifilly create art foced not on the Hollywood gaze, but on the worlds om which black people is also a remr black men who fall love wh other black men, like the two ma characters Moonlight, are not necsarily bt intified as “gay. Filmmakers cludg Marlon Riggs, the black gay creator of celebrated documentari like Tongu Untied (1989) and Black Is...

Brack’s 2008 documentary Dream Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project reviss the murr of a 15-year old om Newark and the rultg urt battle, and sheds light on what means to live life as a young black lbian navigatg a world where homo-antagonism might lerally kill.

'MOONLIGHT' REVIEW: TO BE YOUNG, GAY, BLACK -- AND OUT

And Jacquele Gar’ Free CeCe, was released 2016, four years after the films’ namake, CeCe McDonald, a black trans woman om Mneapolis took a plea al for a send-gree manslghter charge received for fendg herself agast a man who attacked her while walkg wh her iends on a public Ian Polks’ Noah’s Arc: Jumpg the Broom (2008), The Skny (2012) and Blackbird (2014) offer ntemporary tak on black gay love and iendships, while Dari Clark Monroe’s short "Slow" (2011) addrs the tersectnaly of disabily, queerns, and black love.

When to films about sexualy, Black gay men have had our share of low budget movi wh medcre actg and stereotypil storyl.

McCraney, a Black gay man, often challeng genr and sexualy his work, and the movie he saw much of himself. It’s hard to ll the ma character the film gay bee he never intified as such; however, most of his timate nnectns the movie were between him and another man. And that do not make a gay or “sissy.