Which film won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2017?

Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 2017 Oscars. The ceremony took place on February 26, 2017, and honored films released during 2016.

Barry Jenkins directed Moonlight, a coming-of-age drama adapted from Tarell Alvin McCraney’s unpublished play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. The film follows Chiron at three stages of his life as he navigates identity, family, masculinity, and sexuality in Miami. Its restrained visual style and intimate performances earned widespread critical acclaim.

The award is remembered for one of the most famous mistakes in Oscars history. Presenters initially announced La La Land as the winner because the wrong envelope was handed to them. After the error was discovered, the Academy confirmed that Moonlight had actually won. La La Land was a Best Picture nominee, along with Arrival and Manchester by the Sea, but it did not take the prize. The wording “in 2017” refers to the ceremony year, not the film’s release year.