WATCH: Confusion as ‘Moonlight’ wins Best Picture Oscar after ‘La La Land’ announced winner

MANILA, Philippines – The night had been progressing along as expected, with favorites like Damien Chazelle and Emma Stone winning Oscars for their work on La La Land, Viola Davis for Fences, Mahershala Ali for Moonlight, and Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea. The Best Picture race, the final award of the night, was a strong category with many great contenders, though Moonlight and La La Land were among the more buzzed about titles.  

It came as a huge surprise when a mistake was announced – La La Land, which had been named the winner, actually lost to Moonlight.

The La La Land team had already begun to give their speeches, but later ceded the stage to director Barry Jenkins and the stunned Moonlight team as a shocked audience looked on. 

WATCH: Moment where crew/cast of ‘La La Land’ realizes a mistake had been made and ‘Moonlight’ actually won Best Picture. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/WCCopwsJ66

— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 27, 2017

La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz spoke into the microphone, saying that there had been a mistake, that this was not a joke, and that Moonlight was the actual winner. 

“I’m going to be really proud to hand this to my friends from Moonlight,” said Horowitz. He and others could be seen hugging and congratulating the Moonlight group as Jimmy Kimmel and Warren Beatty waded back onstage to address the gaffe. 

“Guys, this is very unfortunate what happened, personally I blame Steve Harvey for this,” joked Jimmy Kimmel. Harvey made a similar error in 2015, announcing the wrong Miss Universe winner before crowning the Philippines’ Pia Wurtzbach.

“Hello, I want to tell you what happened. I opened the enveloped, and it said, Emma Stone, La La Land, that’s why I took such a long look at Faye [Dunaway], and at you, I wasn’t trying to be funny, Thank you. This is Moonlight, the Best Picture, explained Warren Beatty. 

Watch the clip above, posted by Good Morning America. – Rappler.com