Director finds pirated video of his Oscar-winning film in small Yucatan town

MUNA, Yucatan — What else would an internationally renowned filmmaker expect to find at a Mexican street vendor’s stall of pirated films but one of his own?

Having stopped to buy some fruit at a market, Jenkins was walking past a vendor of videos when he spotted his own film, Moonlight, or Luz de Luna in Spanish, which won best picture at this year’s Academy Awards.

He described the experience on Instagram:

“Walking by the bootleg man in Muna, Mexico and look what I found. To fully comprehend this, you must know that Muna is a town with a population of 11,000 souls, a small-town lover’s kinda small town on the way to the Mayan ruins of Uxmal. We stopped for some fruit at an open air market and lo and behold, Luz De Luna. Mama we made it!!!”

Several Mexicans responded to the post. While a few offered a “Viva México!” several others apologized and some saluted Jenkins’ sense of humor over the issue.

There’s no telling how bootlegged copies affect box-office receipts but Moonlight’s financial situation is not bad. As of this month it has grossed US $55.5 million worlwide; it cost $1.5 million to make.

Source: mexiconewsdaily.com