How Moonlight Could Finally Change Hollywood’s Diversity Problem

The movie Moonlight has been garnering a steady stream of praise since its wide release this fall. The beautifully shot film follows a young black man through three stages of his life as he comes to grips with his identity and struggles to not just find, but accept himself. It's a raw and rare look at intersecting worlds that are too often marginalized in pop culture and it's having a visceral impact on audiences worldwide. TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey felt that emotional pull the first time he screened the film and programmed it as part of 2016's Toronto International Film Festival. He's brought the movie back to the TIFF Lightbox and it's been the most successful opening in the theatre's history. I sat down with Bailey in Toronto to talk about why it matters to see these stories on the big screen, and what Moonlight could mean for diversity in Hollywood.