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 it’s where its director, Barry Jenkins, and playwright, Tarell Alvin McCraney, are from.
“This movie—at least what I got from it—really depicts the life of how a lot of us were raised and what we had to go through and endure as children in the inner city,” Commissioner Audrey Edmonson of Miami-Dade County told the Miami New Times.
The county’s commissioners are sponsoring the street name.
“This goes out to children still living here in the inner city who are told they’ll never amount to anything,” Edmonson stated. “It shows that it doesn’t matter how you were raised or where you grew up; you can still turn out to be someone.
“To everyone, I’d say it’s still not too late to watch it. It will bring awareness to those not brought up that way,” she continued. “It definitely shows what goes on in the city.”
On Saturday, Miami residents will be able to see the film for free when Jenkins and McCraney return to Miami to celebrate their Oscar win. The party will start at 11:45 a.m. with a parade by the Northwestern High School marching band. A panel discussion will include Jenkins and McCraney, local cast members Jaden Piner, Patrick Decile and Shariff Earp, and Norland Middle School drama teacher Tanisha Cidel.
The event will be held at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, 6161 NW 22nd Ave. The event is free but an RSVP here is required.