Moonlight continued its impressive awards season run Sunday night, picking up the honor for Best Kiss at the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Stars Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome — who played the teenage versions of Chiron and Kevin, respectively — took the stage together to accept the popcorn trophy, delivering heartfelt speeches about the emotional moment.
“On a real note I think it is safe to say that it is okay for us young performers, especially us minority performers, to step out of the box,” Jerome said of acting in the Best Picture winner. “It’s okay for us to step out of the box and do whatever it takes to tell the story and whatever it takes to make the change.”
“This award is bigger than Jharrel and I,” Sanders added. “This represents more than a kiss, it represents those who feel like the others, the misfits — this represents us.”
The duo beat out La La Land‘s Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, Beauty and the Beast‘s Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, Empire‘s Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard, and Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates‘ Zac Efron and Anna Kendrick for the award.
Watch the clip below.
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Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com