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“Although we didn’t have the board capacity to put on a festival this year, we wanted to give Three Rivers some sort of celebration,” Three Rivers Pride Secretary Alexis Jacobs wrote in a statement to Watershed Voice. “So we organized this event to honor queer folks and love, show everyone that we are still here, and raise some money towards the cause.”

According to Jacobs, all tips collected during the event will be donated to Three Rivers Pride to support future initiatives. She added that the Kittens will close the evening with a “big group number” to cap off the night of celebration.

In The Mother Wound, Part Five, Watershed Voice columnist Aundrea Sayrie writes, “Eventually there comes a moment where a person has to decide, ‘Do I carry this pain forever, or do I begin finding a way to free myself from it?’

“Because forgiveness is not for the other person. It is for you. For your peace of mind. For your ability to move forward without carrying the same emotional burden forever.”

On the film’s 10th anniversary, organizers hope audiences recognize its significance. Monoform member Gabe Ybarra described the film not only as an important work of queer cinema, but as a film that belongs within the broader canon of American cinema.

“Now more than ever it’s important that theaters of all kinds continue to screen films like Moonlight because representation does matter. It matters on the surface level that queer and non-white people deserve a space in the industry, but on a deeper level we need these kinds of movies because they build empathy. In the same way that watching international cinema can broaden your understanding of the world and introduce you to a culture or entirely different way that people exist, movies like Moonlight can open your eyes to how different existence can be even for the people standing right next to you.”