‘Moonlight changed the geography of our imagination’
Cinema St. Louis will open the 19th Annual QFest St. Louis Film Festival with a return to the film that moved the ground beneath the Black queer storytelling space within mainstream cinema. QFest will open with a 10th anniversary screening of Moonlight on Friday, June 12 — a film that reshaped how Black queer stories […] The post ‘Moonlight changed the geography of our imagination’ appeared first on St. Louis American.
Black News 
Cinema St. Louis will open the 19th Annual QFest St. Louis Film Festival with a return to the film that moved the ground beneath the Black queer storytelling space within mainstream cinema. QFest will open with a 10th anniversary screening of Moonlight on Friday, June 12 — a film that reshaped how Black queer stories are seen, discussed, and valued on screen.
“Screening Moonlight is so much more than celebrating a great film,” said Cinema St. Louis Festival Curator Emmett Williams. “It’s acknowledging what for many was a cultural shift.”
In his second feature, writer-director Barry Jenkins took the familiar “tales from the ’hood” framework and turned it inward, centering humanity, vulnerability and a love story rarely allowed to exist in Black cinema. Adapted from Tarell Alvin McCraney’s semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, the film follows Chiron across three chapters of his life as he navigates masculinity, survival and the quiet spaces where identity forms. The story is gritty without leaning on the usual tropes — trading spectacle for intention and introspection.
When Moonlight premiered, it went on to earn eight Academy Award nominations. On Oscar night, the film won Best Picture after the now-infamous envelope mix-up in which La La Land was mistakenly announced as the winner. Mahershala Ali also won Best Supporting Actor —and Jenkins and McCraney won for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film’s understated power and groundbreaking representation cemented its place as one of the most influential works thus far in the 21st century.
“For so long, Black queer stories on screen were treated as a niche within a niche, forced to exist on the margins of both Black cinema and queer cinema,” Williams said. “Moonlight changed the geography of our imagination. To screen it now, a decade later, is a reminder that our stories don’t have to be loud or hyper-tragic to be monumental; they can be quiet and tender.”
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Maxi Glamour and additional panelists to be announced. Williams said the conversation will explore the film’s impact on Hollywood and what its Best Picture win meant for representation. Among the questions: “Has the win moved the needle? While it for sure forced the industry to take a look at itself, has anything really changed? Have we seen another film in the last ten years like it?”
QFest runs June 12–21 under the theme OUT, LOUD, highlighting visibility, resilience and the role queer cinema plays in helping communities see themselves and connect. The festival closes with the 25th anniversary screening of Y Tu Mamá También and features new documentaries, global shorts, and the return of the Trans Youth Art Sale at the Hi-Pointe.
“QFest and this year’s theme, OUT, LOUD, is a celebration of filmmakers and a queer community that continues to do bold, inventive, and deeply meaningful work,” Williams said. “What excites me most is just how these films feel urgent, personal, and crafted with real vision. This festival is about showing up, being seen, and celebrating the power of great filmmaking to connect us.”
Cinema St. Louis’ 19th Annual QFest will take place from June 12-21 at The High Pointe. For a full schedule of films and related programming, visit www.cinemastlouis.org.
Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.
The post ‘Moonlight changed the geography of our imagination’ appeared first on St. Louis American.
