Liberty City Swelling With Pride Over Oscar Winner 'Moonlight'

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Liberty City is buzzing with Oscar pride after Moonlight took home three of those little gold statues.

"It made me feel good," said Marva, a Liberty City resident. "I'm a black person and you know for a black young boy like that it made me feel good. I'm proud of them."

On Monday, at MLK Restaurant, CBS4's Mike Cugno met up with rapper Luther Campbell who says he hopes the film casts a new light on their city.

"Unfortunately the only thing you see is the shooting and the murders and the drive-bys, those things," said Campbell. "There are some special people in Liberty City."

Now the world will get to see a different side of this area as well as a couple of emerging stars – Alex Hibbert and Jaden Piner.

Those are the two Norland middle school students who were in the film.

"Many people think Miami is just something that is beautiful," said Norland student Shadavia Jones. "I feel like this movie showed the real Miami."

Now a community known more for its football stats has something new to hang its hats on.

"We got an Oscar," said Campbell. "That's something that nobody can ever take away from us. I said in a tweet last night I'm proud as hell to be from Liberty City."