Tarell Alvin McCraney on 'Moonlight' at 10 — SkimNews
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- Tarell Alvin McCraney describes the 10-year journey of 'Moonlight' as 'incredible,' saying the film still asks the fundamental question, 'Who am I and who can I be?'
- McCraney wrote the original screenplay, 'In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue,' in 2003 after his mother's death, as a way to recollect memories of growing up in Miami's Liberty City.
- Barry Jenkins connected with McCraney around 2012-2013 after a mutual friend shared the script, with Jenkins insisting he could turn the medium-length piece into a full feature film.
- YoungArts and The National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts were instrumental in Miami's arts scene, providing pre-production space for 'Moonlight' and nurturing local talent like McCraney.
- McCraney initially expected only a niche audience for the indie film but was stunned by its widespread reach after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
- The film's production coincided with a democratization of filmmaking tools, inspiring many viewers to pursue film school, photography, or cinematography after seeing 'Moonlight.'
Why it matters: The film's decade-long legacy demonstrates the power of personal, community-driven storytelling to achieve mainstream recognition and inspire a new generation of creators. Its success, stemming from a script written in grief, provided a cinematic blueprint for underrepresented narratives.
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