First MOONLIGHT Trailer Experience the first MOONLIGHT trailer! The film, written and directed by Barry Jenkins, stars Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, and Janelle Monáe. MOONLIGHT will be released in theaters on October 21. A three-part narrative spanning the childhood, adolescence, and adulthood of an African-American man who survives Miami’s drug-plagued inner city, finding love in unexpected places and the possibility of change within himself.