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Read Barry Jenkins’ Oscar acceptance speech he never got to give

Written by gaytourism

Filmmaker Barry Jenkins. | Photo: YouTube/Entertainment Weekly

While in attendance as a keynote speaker at festival South by Southwest (SXSW), filmmaker Barry Jenkins surprised audiences when he read the Oscar acceptance he never got to give.

Jenkins’ groundbreaking film Moonlight won Best Picture at least year’s Academy Awards — but not before Faye Dunaway mistakenly read La La Land first.

It mean the Moonlight never got the moment they deserved at the ceremony. Recently, Jenkins reflected on his conflicted feelings about the night.

‘I’m never going to get the opportunity to enjoy that,’ he said. ‘Because even if it happens again, it won’t be the same.’

SXSW finally gave him the moment to share his thoughts and feelings on winning Best Picture.

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‘I denied myself that dream’

Here’s Jenkins’ full speech, courtesy of Deadline.

Tarell and I are Chiron. We are that boy. And when you watch Moonlight, you don’t assume a boy who grew up how and where we did would grow up and make a piece of art that wins an Academy Award — certainly don’t think he would grow up to win Best Picture. I’ve said that a lot and what I’ve had to admit is that I placed those limitations on myself. I denied myself that dream — not you, not anyone else — me. And so, to anyone watching this who sees themselves in us, let this be a symbol, a reflection that leads you to love yourself. Because doing so may be the difference between dreaming at all and somehow, through the Academy’s grace, realizing dreams you never allowed yourself to have.

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