Moonlight Wins Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture, Drama

The made-in-Miami film Moonlight took home one of the Golden Globes' biggest awards last night: the statue for Best Motion Picture - Drama, the grand finale of the ceremony. It was a relief to many critics and fans of the film, who'd begun to fear it would be shut out of the awards.

By the time the final award of last night's Golden Globes was introduced, fans of Moonlight were feeling snubbed. The film, directed by Miami native Barry Jenkins and based on a play written by fellow Miamian Tarell Alvin McCraney, has been universally adored by critics, yet as the awards proceeded, none of the film's creators made it to the stage.

Though the film was up for six awards, the Hollywood Foreign Press had passed it over again and again: early in the evening, for original score, supporting actor, and supporting actress; and later, for the categories in which it was most favored, best screenplay and best director. La La Land, the Ryan Gosling/Emma Stone musical, took home both awards instead, helping it break a record for most Golden Globe wins.

Critics, fans, and celebrities took to Twitter in response:

The Moonlight screenplay was a huge influence as I wrote the first draft of the Untamed State screenplay. Helped me think about blackness.

— roxane gay (@rgay) January 9, 2017

MOONLIGHT is losing all this stuff & that’s a bummer. Such a great movie.

— emily nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) January 9, 2017

i love LA LA LAND! i'm a musical nerd! but MOONLIGHT was genuinely one of the most affecting stories i've seen on screen in years

— #BrittanySpanos (@ohheybrittany) January 9, 2017

So when Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers took the stage to announce the winner of Best Motion Picture - Drama, the shut-out rumors had already begun. But when Stallone opened the envelope and handed it to Weathers, the drought was over.
Producer Adele Romanski and Jenkins took the mike to accept the award while the room offered a standing ovation. "To be honest, I didn't think this was going to happen," Romanski admitted.

Jenkins thanked the studio A24, the Brad Pitt-backed production company Plan B, and his mother before shouting out, "Everybody on Twitter and Instagram, to everybody back home in Miami and in New Orleans."

The award intensifies the Oscars buzz that's surrounded the film since it debuted. Academy Awards nominations will be announced January 24.