‘Moonlight’ swept the board picking up four gongs at the 2016 Gotham Independent Film Awards.
The Barry Jenkins movie, which features ‘Spectre’ star Naomie Harris and singer-and-actress Janelle Monáe, won Best Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Ensemble, and the Audience Award.
During his many acceptance speeches at the star-studded bash held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York on Monday (28.11.16), Jenkins said: "I started writing things down, because I realised I was forgetting people."
The director also thanked the cast and his English teacher for being, "the first person who told me my story was worth telling".
Elsewhere, Casey Affleck was honoured with the Best Actor title for his part in ‘Manchester by the Sea’ and Best Actress went to Isabelle Huppert for ‘Elle’.
Affleck dedicated his prize to the director and screenwriter of the movie, Kenneth Lonergan.
He said: "There’s no acting award that doesn’t half belong to the director and the writer. Both of those people are Kenneth Lonergan."
‘Nocturnal Animals’ star Amy Adams was honoured with Film Tribute Award by Cate Blanchett, who said she has a "huge actor crush" on the blonde beauty.
And Ethan Hawke and director Oliver Stone were also presented with the same title and an Industry Tribute went to New Regency Films owner, Arnon Milchan.
The winners of the 2016 Gotham Indepdenent Film Awards are as follows:
Best Feature
‘Moonlight’
Barry Jenkins, director; Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, producers (A24)
Best Documentary
‘O.J.: Made in America’
Ezra Edelman, director; Caroline Waterlow, Ezra Edelman, Tamara Rosenberg, Nina Krstic, Deirdre Fenton, Erin Leyden, producers (ESPN Films)
Breakthrough Series – ‘Long Form
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’, Rachel Bloom & Aline Brosh McKenna, creators; Marc Webb, Rachel Bloom, Aline Brosh McKenna, Erin Ehrlich, executive producers (The CW)
Best Actress
Isabelle Huppert in Elle (Sony Pictures Classics)
Best Actor
Casey Affleck in ‘Manchester by the Sea’ (Amazon Studios)
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Trey Edward Shults for ‘Krisha’ (A24)
Best Screenplay
‘Moonlight’, Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney; Screenplay by Barry Jenkins (A24)
Breakthrough Series – ‘Short Form
Her Story’, Jen Richards and Laura Zak, creators (herstoryshow.com)
Breakthrough Actor
Anya Taylor-Joy in ‘The Witch’ (A24)