Moonlight Sweeps Spirit Awards

You can't fight the Moonlight.

The acclaimed coming-of-age film about a black gay youth swept the 32nd Independent Spirit Awards, taking home Best Feature, Best Director (Barry Jenkins), Best Screenplay (Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney), Best Cinematography (James Laxton), Best Editing (Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders), and the Robert Altman Award for best ensemble cast.

In the entertainment industry, the Spirit Awards are seen as a key bellwether for Oscar nominations and wins. Many nominees go on to win at the Academy Awards, where this year, Moonlight is the underdog for Best Picture, which many believe will go to the popular musical La La Land.

This writer wrote an op-ed in The Advocate calling for Academy voters to put empathy over vanity in their vote, saying, "In art, soul, and importance, Moonlight shines. As a benefit, the win will also send that message to black people, to queer people, and yes, to President Trump, that our lives matter too."

There were other LGBT winners at the Saturday event. Andrew Ahn's Spa Night, a film about a gay Korean-American, took home the John Cassavetes Award. Molly Shannon, who portrays the dying mother of a gay man in Chris Kelly's Other People, won Best Supporting Female.

See the full list of winners at Indie Wire.