Moviefone Editorial

Tag: barry-jenkins

  • ‘Moonlight’ Director Barry Jenkins Reveals His Real Best Picture Acceptance Speech

    89th Annual Academy Awards - ShowTo say that “Moonlight“‘s thunder was stolen during Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony is an epic understatement. But while the film’s Best Picture achievement may have been eclipsed by the colossal mix-up that initially had fellow nominee “La La Land” mistakenly crowned the winner, director Barry Jenkins isn’t bitter, and has revealed what he had initially planned to say had he had his proper moment in the spotlight.

    In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jenkins reflected on the chaos that occurred at the end of the ceremony, and how it immediately blocked out any sort of prepared statement he had wanted to deliver should his film have nabbed the night’s top prize. While the director — who also co-wrote the film’s screenplay, which also took home an Oscar — did make a brief acceptance speech, he told EW, “It was an imperfect situation and it was an imperfect statement that didn’t come out the right way but it is what it is.”

    Now that he’s had some time to reflect on his film’s achievement, he told the magazine what he had wanted to say all along. Here’s how he explained it to EW:

    “[Moonlight playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney] and I are this kid. We are Chiron,” he says, referring to his background as a child from Liberty City, Miami, whose mother once struggled with drug addiction. “And you don’t think that kid grows up to be nominated for eight Academy Awards. It’s not a dream he’s allowed to have. I still feel that way. I didn’t think this was possible. But now I look at other people looking at me and if I didn’t think it was possible, how are they going to? But now it’s happened. So what I think of possibility, let’s take it off the table. The thing has happened.”

    Jenkins also had more complimentary things to say about “La La Land” producer Jordon Horowitz, who was the one to announce the mistake, and insist that the “Moonlight” filmmakers take the stage to accept their rightful awards. The director said that that moment in particular helps soften any sort of hard feelings about Sunday night.

    “It will be remembered and I think in a beautiful way,” he told EW of the odd confluence of events.

    We applaud Jenkins for revealing himself to be such a gracious, classy person in the midst of such an surreal ordeal. (His brand new status as an Oscar winner probably doesn’t hurt his optimistic attitude, either.)

    [via: Entertainment Weekly]

  • Oscars 2017: ‘Moonlight’ and ‘La La Land’ Filmmakers Share the Love After Awkward Mix-Up

    89th Annual Academy Awards - ShowIn what must have been one of the most humiliating moments of his life, “La La Land” producer Jordan Horowitz had to tell the world on Sunday night that his movie did not, in fact, win Best Picture at the Oscars, after it was initially mistakenly announced as the victor instead of actual Best Picture honoree “Moonlight.” But Horowitz and “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins have proven that even such a surreal, embarrassing moment can have a positive outcome, especially when both winner and loser are so gracious toward one another.

    The filmmakers were the picture of poise and mutual respect Sunday night (and early Monday morning, as the show stretched into the wee hours) as the surreal event played out on the telecast. No fewer than three producers from “La La Land” had already given acceptance speeches, thinking they were Best Picture winners, when presenter Warren Beatty, host Jimmy Kimmel, and show producers stormed the stage with the correct envelope (no, not the one declaring “Lemonade” the winner) to try to explain what happened.

    Horowitz could have slunk away to stew about the embarrassing turn of events, but instead, he snatched the envelope declaring “Moonlight”‘s victory and took it upon himself to reveal the true winner. As a clearly uncomfortable Kimmel joked that he wished everyone from both “La La Land” and “Moonlight” could get a statuette, Horowitz insisted on presenting Jenkins and the other “Moonlight” producers with their rightful prizes, telling the host, “I’m going to be really thrilled to hand this to my friends from ‘Moonlight.’”

    While some internet commentators have noted that Horowitz didn’t exactly do anything revolutionary — after all, he didn’t win that Oscar, and should have just handed it over anyway without any special recognition for doing do — Jenkins counted himself among those impressed by the producer’s poise during such an awkward (and surely pretty painful) moment. In a backstage interview after the broadcast, Jenkins told reporters, “the folks from ‘La La Land’ were so gracious. I can’t imagine being in their position and having to do that. … I wasn’t speechless because we won. I was speechless because I — it was so gracious of them to do that.”

    In a tweet sent out later that night, the director reflected on what the event must have felt like for Horowitz, writing that he had “much respect” for the producer. As Horowitz tweeted in reply, that feeling went both ways.

    In an interview with The Washington Post, Horowitz further elaborated on what was going through his mind as the mistake unfolded, insisting that he didn’t think he did anything extraordinary.

    “That moment on stage was not about anything but moving the spotlight to where it should have rightfully been. … [S]etting it right was in my mind the only option,” he told the Post. ” … All I know is there was a moment when I knew and it needed to be corrected. There was just so much confusion. I think people needed to see that piece of paper. There needed to be some real definitive clarity and truth in that moment.”

    No one will ever forget the awkwardness that went down during the 2017 Oscars, but we’re glad that Horowitz and Jenkins’s heartwarming mutual respect and friendship will also be a part of that story.

    [via: Barry Jenkins, Jordan Horowitz, The Washington Post]

  • How These Oscar-Nominated Directors Broke the Rules

    Damien Chazelle of La La Land, Barry Jenkins of Moonlight and Mel Gibson of Hacksaw Ridge
    Damien Chazelle of La La Land, Barry Jenkins of Moonlight and Mel Gibson of Hacksaw Ridge

    The first rule for these Oscar-caliber filmmakers was to break all the rules.

    Made in Hollywood sits down with Best Director nominees Barry Jenkins of “Moonlight,” “Damien Chazelle” of “La La Land” and Mel Gibson of “Hacksaw Ridge” and director Raoul Peck of Best Documentary nominee “I Am Not Your Negro” to find out what they were thinking long before they were thinking about awards.

    Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

    When Barry Jenkins set out to make a movie based on Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play, “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue,” his only goal was “to do right by Tarell” and his profound story about the struggle to accept one’s sexuality. Only later did he get to appreciate the importance of the critical acclaim and Academy Awards buzz.

    “All these other things are amazing in that they help boost the signal of the film,” Jenkins, nominated as director and screenwriter, tells Made in Hollywood reporter Patrick Stinson, “and that is important because there are people who feel like they’re voiceless and I think this movie might help carry their voices.”

    Damien Chazelle, La La Land

    When Damien Chazelle envisioned “La La Land,” he hoped to tap into a secret part of the audience’s psyche. “I was so adamant about trying to make a musical that would reach out to people who think they don’t like musicals,” he tells reporter Julie Harkness Arnold. “It’s just that musicals have gotten a bad rap.”

    “I think musicals — and what I wanted to get back to with this movie — are actually about a very simple idea,” Chazelle, nominated for director and screenplay. “It’s just that if you’re emotional enough, you break into song. That means if you’re emotional enough, in love enough, the rules don’t apply anymore or logic kind of goes out the window. It’s this incredibly free emotional kind of filmmaking and storytelling that I just think gives you just license to play in a way that’s really wonderful.”

    Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge

    For “Hacksaw Ridge,” Mel Gibson confronted a seeming paradox: telling a war story centered on a man religiously opposed to fighting in wars. The World War II film about Medal of Honor medic Desmond Doss accomplishes this by exploring the true meaning of heroism, Gibson says.

    “He believed in something greater than himself, and he was willing to sacrifice his own life for his brothers, and this is the greatest act of love anyone can do,” he says. “In the midst of hell, where most men are becoming animals, he was honing this aspect of himself and doing glorious things, and saving lives. He was life-affirming in the midst of death. It’s kind of a cool story.”

    Raoul Peck, I Am Not Your Negro

    While Samuel L. Jackson narrates the documentary “I Am Not Your Negro,” every word comes directly from the writings of movie’s subject, James Baldwin, a key element to director Raoul Peck’s effort to show how a man who gained fame decades ago has never been more relevant.

    “The motivation to start this particular project came at a time when I felt we were not addressing the right issues, in particular in this country and elsewhere as well,” says Peck. “We were not hearing the right voices. The voice of a James Baldwin had somehow disappeared. And I could not understand when I was experiencing how important he was that the new generation basically knew nothing about him. I felt it was an important film to do.”

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  • Oscars 2017: Who Will Win Best Director?

    Who will win Best Director? This is one of Oscar’s most heated races.

    We’re just days away from Hollywood’s biggest night — the 89th Academy Awards (Feb 26 at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on ABC) — which means it’s crunch time. Time for you to fill out your Oscars ballot and lock in your picks!

    Moviefone’s editors are checking off their choices for who will — and should — win in all the major categories. And the nominees for Best Director are…

    Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival“)
    Mel Gibson (“Hacksaw Ridge“)
    Damien Chazelle (“La La Land“)
    Kenneth Lonergan (“Manchester by the Sea“)
    Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight“)

    Here, we’re sharing who we think will win, as well as who we feel truly deserves to take home the Academy Award.

    Tim Hayne
    Director Damien Chazelle and Emma Stone on the set of LA LA LAND.Who Will Win: Damien Chazelle. I don’t have much to say about this other than he is a shoo-in. He’s already nabbed all the major directing awards (Golden Globe, BAFTA, Directors Guild), so if he doesn’t win, it’ll be a huge surprise.

    Who Should Win: Kenneth Lonergan. Um, have you seen “Manchester by the Sea”? The man masterfully balances nuance and emotional heft to get the best possible performances out of his actors — hey, it earned Casey Affleck a nomination for Best Actor. While I’d be surprised by a Lonergan win, I take comfort in knowing that, if he keeps making movies of this caliber, he’ll surely be nominated again.

    Phil Pirrello

    Who Will Win: Damien Chazelle. The winner of the Director’s Guild Award is usually expected to take home Oscar, and Chazelle won that prize and many more throughout awards season. His musical is confection Hollywood (and the Academy) seemingly can’t get enough of — and the Academy loves to award movies about movies/acting (see past Best Picture winners “The Artist,” “Argo,” and “Birdman”). Chazelle’s “Whiplash” earned him Oscar attention; expect his latest film to net him Oscar gold.

    Who Should Win: Kenneth Lonergan. Directing a flashy, original, LA-set musical isn’t easy, and several moments in the film are swoon-worthy for Oscar voters. At the same time, writing and directing a movie as emotionally complicated and honest as “Manchester” — without hitting a false note or veering into melodrama — feels even harder.

    Going into Oscar season back in September, Lonergan felt like the shoo-in for both Original Screenplay and Director — maybe losing some edge on the latter to Chazelle. Buzz has cooled on “Manchester” as the hype has reached near fever-pitch on “White People Struggling in LA: The Movie” “La La Land.” As a result, Chazelle is most likely to go home with the award, but I think in five or ten years, when “Manchester” is better appreciated as the masterpiece it is, voters will realize the Oscar should have been Lonergan’s.

    Rachel Horner

    Who Will Win: Damien Chazelle. Oscar night is just a bit too predictable this year. I didn’t love “La La Land.” Not as much as every one else. The Academy can’t stop praising this overrated film, so they might as well give him his first directing Oscar.

    Who Should Win: Kenneth Lonergan. I have no idea what it took for Lonergan to make such a gut-punch of a movie, but I feel confident that it is worthy of an Oscar. If only his film came out a year after “La La Land” stole all attention.

    Tony Maccio

    Who Will Win: Damien Chazelle. Regardless of whether or not you feel there is too much hype surrounding “La La Land,” it’s hard to deny the talents exhibited by its director. His follow-up to “Whiplash” is an ambitious undertaking that, on paper, looks like a logistical nightmare. Onscreen, however, Chazelle seems to pull it off effortlessly, conveying the beauty and sorrow of trying to make it in Los Angeles.

    Who Should Win: Barry Jenkins. Jenkins has a deep personal connection to the story that helps make his film so emotionally profound. The powerful nature of growing up in Liberty City gave Jenkins the ability to direct “Moonlight” from the most realistic place possible, resulting in a film that you can’t help but talk about long after you leave the theater.

    Drew Taylor

    Who Will Win: Damien Chazelle. Quite frankly, the “La La Land” train cannot be stopped. With 14 nominations, tying it for the most Academy Award nominations of any movie ever, it’s engendered the kind of goodwill that makes it virtually indestructible. (Honestly, the “backlash” that has been written about so much recently seems to have barely registered.)

    Chazelle is already an Oscar darling; his last film, “Whiplash,” was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and so for some this might seem “overdue” (even though its only his third feature and he is only 32 years old). Academy voters love a big-hearted, swing-for-the-fences type of feature, especially if its directed back at itself, and God knows there’s enough “magic of Hollywood” cheeriness in “La La Land” to wrap around the entire globe (twice).

    Who Should Win: Kenneth Lonergan. For some reason, the heat around “Manchester by the Sea” has become muted these last few weeks, possibly because of the allegations of sexual harassment leveled against the film’s star, Casey Affleck.

    And it’s a shame because the movie is so, so good. And much of that has to do with the naturalistic direction of Kenneth Lonergan (who also wrote the screenplay). Lonergan is a notorious tinkerer, a character trait that nearly derailed his last film, the fussy, incomparable “Margaret,” and part of what makes “Manchester by the Sea” so miraculous is that it feels like it was sprung, fully formed, from his imagination. Few films were as profound or moving as “Manchester.” And it’s because of Lonergan’s sure-handed direction that it plays so well.