Barry Jenkins' Academy Award-winning 2016 film "Moonlight" will be screened Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 5 p.m. in the Coastal Theater (Room A-110) in the Lib Jackson Student Union at Coastal Carolina University. The event, which is part of the Edwards College Modern Narrative Film Series, is free and open to the public.

"Moonlight" chronicles the life of Chiron, a young black man growing up in Miami. As Chiron moves from childhood to adolescence and into adulthood, he confronts critical issues of drug abuse, poverty, sexuality and identity in a riveting struggle to endure as a young, gay man.

Tripthi Pillai, associate professor of English, will lead a discussion and analysis of the film following the screening. Pillai earned a Ph.D. in English from Loyola University Chicago and joined the CCU faculty in 2010.

"A point that 'Moonlight' articulates persistently and visually is that we are wounded and scarred by our intimate encounters with love far more profoundly than by traumatic experiences," Pillai said. "While both kinds of encounters shape our subjectivity, in the film the power of the loving or caring encounter is far more striking in its impact than the many negative encounters suffered by the characters."

The film is rated R and contains content that may be inappropriate for children. Parental discretion is advised. It won Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor at the 2016 Academy Awards. The film series is sponsored by the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

The student union is located at 106 Spadoni Park Circle on the main CCU campus in Conway. Parking is available in lots E and MM; see www.coastal.edu/map.

For more information on the event, contact Pillai at 843-234-3410 or tpillai@coastal.edu; for more information on the Edwards College Modern Narratives Film Series, contact Christian Smith, assistant professor of English, at 843-349-6967 or csmith8@coastal.edu.