Oscar-nominated film director has ties to First Commerce Credit Union

The Oscar-nominated movie, Moonlight, has ties to the credit union world. Nominated in eight categories, the film’s writer and director, Barry Jenkins, is a Florida native who won a Pathfinder Award from Florida Commerce Credit Union (now First Commerce Credit Union), headquartered in Tallahassee, FL, more than 10 years ago.

Jenkins, who is also an Oscar-nominee this year for his role as writer and director, won the credit union’s first-ever Pathfinder Award and $5,000 prize while in film school at Florida State University.

In a 2003 interview, Jenkins said the money he won for the award allowed him to move to Los Angeles, CA, after graduation, where he earned a job as a director’s assistant in Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films. The movie he was honored for was shot in his hometown of Miami, FL, and already has taken home a Golden Globe for Best Picture.

The Academy Awards will take place Feb. 26. Read more at CU Today.