Comment on Oscar winning 'Moonlight' shines on Miami's Liberty City

"The best thing about this movie is they actually went into the projects and shot it, and they let kids from around Liberty City be in it," said Kamal Ani-Bello, a freshman at Miami Northwestern Senior High School who had a role as an extra in the film. "Moonlight" won the Academy Award Sunday night for best picture, best supporting actor and best adapted screenplay. Jenkins graduated from the same high school and had roots in a public housing project nicknamed "Pork & Beans" familiar to many students. Natalie Baldie, artistic director of the Performing and Visual Arts Center at Miami Northwestern, said she hopes the movie and its awards give students another perspective about getting out of Liberty City or going to college. Graham Winick, the city of Miami Beach's film coordinator and a past president of Film Florida, called the success of "Moonlight" a cultural high-water mark for Miami and Florida, comparable to hosting an international art fair like Art Basel Miami Beach or preserving the area's signature Art Deco architecture.