Moonlight swept the top categories at New York City’s Gotham Independent Film Awards Monday, taking home the prizes for best feature, best screenplay and the audience award, as well as special jury prize for best ensemble.
The film by Barry Jenkins tells the story of a gay man of color through three stages of his life. It is the talk of Hollywood, given that the last two winners of the Gotham feature prize – Birdman and Spotlight – each won best picture at the Academy Awards.
Moonlight stars Naomie Harris, André Holland, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, and Jharrel Jerome.
Another winner was Her Story, the web series co-created, co-written and co-executive produced by Jen Richards and Laura Zak, which took home the award for breakthrough shortform series.
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Her Story honestly portrays the day in and day out struggle of dating while trans. Richards and Zak star in Her Story alongside Angelica Ross, Christian Ochoa, Fawzia Mirza, Caroline Whitney Smith, Kristina Mitchell, Kat Purgal, Elizabeth Frances, Lindsay Heath, Scott Turner Schofield, Josh Wingate, Bobby Reed, Unati Mangaliso, and Gregory Halstead.
It is unique in that so many of Her Story’s stars, its developers, creative team, production crew and even its director is transgender.
Directed by Sydney Freeland and produced by Katherine Fisher, the entire crowdfunded first season of the Emmy-nominated series can be seen online by clicking here.
Variety has a list of all the winners at the Gotham Independent Film Awards here.
Watch a trailer for Moonlight, below, and scroll down for the trailer for Her Story.
