We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Moonlight

Gay cinema has been building tremendously in the last decade, generating some of cinemas most enduring films. From Brokeback Mountain to Carol, the genre has been blessed with so many quality stories that it seems strange that one some still remained to be told.

With Moonlight, director Barry Jenkins explores the coming of age story of a young black man as he struggles in a rough Miami neighborhood while trying to understand his sexuality. Still a stigma within the black communities, gay men find it much harder to come out in an age where toughness is part-and-parcel with being straight. To have to live as a young gay black man while turmoil swirls around you is a challenge.

A big hit at Telluride and Toronto film festivals, Moonlight has emerged as one of the year’s most critically acclaimed films. With a staggering 99% Fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes, a 99 rating from MetaCritic, and an 8.3 rating from IMDb, there’s little question that the film has become one of the most acclaimed films not just of the year but of several recent years. If it can steamroll through the critics awards, I have little doubt that it will be a key player at this year’s Oscars. What’s more, it could also be one of the films leading the competition.

While the Academy doesn’t always recognize genuine indie cinema in the Best Picture race, preferring indie films from major producers that are less independent than indie-esque, Moonlight will face a tough election campaign, facing off against heavy-hitters that are more likely to curry favor with wide swaths of the membership. Of course, after #OscarsSoWhite, the film might have a higher statistical probability of winning. We’ll just have to wait and see.