Barry Jenkins | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Jenkins in 2017 | |
| Born | (1979-11-19)November 19, 1979 (age 45) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Florida State University |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
| Spouse | |
Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short filmMy Josephine (2003), he directed his first feature film,Medicine for Melancholy (2008), for which he received anIndependent Spirit Award nomination forBest First Feature. He is also a member of theChopstars collective as a creative collaborator.
Following an eight-year hiatus from feature filmmaking, Jenkins directed and co-wrote the LGBTQ-themed independent dramaMoonlight (2016), which wonnumerous accolades, including theAcademy Award for Best Picture. Jenkins received anOscar nomination forBest Director and jointly won theAcademy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay withTarell Alvin McCraney.[1] He becamethe fourth Black person to be nominated for Best Director and the second Black person to direct a Best Picture winner. He released his third directorial feature,If Beale Street Could Talk, in 2018 to critical praise and screenplay-award nominations at the Academy Awards andGolden Globes.
He is also known for his work in television. Jenkins directed "Chapter V" of theNetflix seriesDear White People in 2017. In 2021, he created and directed theAmazon Video limited seriesThe Underground Railroad, based on thenovel of the same name, for which he received aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie nomination and aPeabody Award. In 2017, Jenkins was included on the annualTime 100 list of the most influential people in the world.[2]
Jenkins was born in 1979 atJackson Memorial Hospital inMiami,Florida,[3] the youngest of four siblings, each from a different father.[4] His father separated from his mother while she was pregnant with Jenkins, believing that he was not Jenkins's father; he died when Jenkins was 12.[4] Jenkins, in later life, still has "no idea who my 'real' father is".[5] "I don't think any of us were planned, but I was definitely a mistake", he said later.[6]
His mother, a nurse, was addicted to crack cocaine,[5][7] and was a teenagerunaway who Jenkins has said abandoned him.[8][5][a] Jenkins grew up inLiberty City, a neighborhood of Miami, and was primarily raised by another older woman (who had also looked after his mother while she was a teenager) in an overcrowded apartment: "I wasn't raised by anyone who was a blood relative of mine, and yet I could see my blood relatives all around the neighborhood because things were just so, so bad".[4][10] As a teenager Jenkins lived with friends fromMiami Northwestern Senior High School, where he played football and ran track.[3][6] His disordered and lonely childhood led him to retreat inwards and develop an active imagination.[11] He hoped to pursue a creative-writing degree.[6]
Jenkins studied film at theFlorida State University College of Motion Picture Arts (FSU),[3] where he met many of his future frequent collaborators, including cinematographerJames Laxton, producerAdele Romanski and editorsNat Sanders andJoi McMillon.[12] His decision to study there was instigated by an initial visit: "I thought: This is the blackest place in America. I gotta be here".[6] Feeling inadequate in terms of his technological skills, Jenkins took a year off to develop them.[13] Jenkins felt a general lack of confidence at the start of the program, which began for Jenkins in a spontaneous manner. To resolve his personal misgivings, in a divergence from the inspirations of his classmates, he looked toward foreign arthouse cinema and directors likeWong Kar-wai,Claire Denis,Hou Hsiao-hsien, andLynne Ramsay.[14]
While at Florida State, Jenkins became a member ofAlpha Phi Alpha[15] fraternity. Four days after graduating from FSU, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a filmmaking career, spending two years working on various projects as aproduction assistant.[3] He became disillusioned with "Hollywood film-making" after working forHarpo Productions, an experience which contrasted with his time studying film, reflecting that "At school, film-making had been the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me".[14]
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Jenkins' first film was his 2001 shortMy Josephine, which follows the romantic life of a young Arabic-speaking man,following the September 11 attacks.[11] Previously he had fretted over his chances of success due to his racial and class identity, butMy Josephine demonstrated that "I could do the work to make myself as accomplished as anyone else".[16] He then explored Black children beingtried as adults for the deaths of their peers inLittle Brown Boy.[11]
He would later follow it up withMedicine for Melancholy.[11] The film, which has been linked to themumblecore scene, starsWyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins.[17][18] The impetus being the lack of low-budget mumblecore films which featured African-Americans, Jenkins recalled that the movie represented the "place where I was both physically, emotionally, and mentally".[13][19] Well received by critics, the film underwent "the usual tour of festivals garnering its share of nominations, reviews, small awards and limited release distribution in major cities in 2009 and 2010".[4][20]
FollowingMedicine for Melancholy, Jenkins wrote multiple scripts: atime travel epic forFocus Features and adaptations ofIf Beale Street Could Talk and a memoir byBill Clegg.[4][21][22] He later worked as acarpenter and co-founded Strike Anywhere, an advertising company. In 2011, he wrote and directedRemigration, asci-fi short film aboutgentrification. Jenkins became a writer for HBO'sThe Leftovers, about which he has said, "I didn't get to do much."[4] In 2012, he received aUnited States Artists Fellowship grant.[23] During this time period, he reckoned he matured as both a person and an artist. The lack of fruition with his scripts led him to consider if he was unable to produce another film; his next feature, he said, "just came to me".[22]
Jenkins directed and co-wrote, withTarell Alvin McCraney, the 2016 dramaMoonlight, his first feature film in eight years.[4] It is an adaptation of McCraney's playIn Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. Both writers' lives influenced the story, both having spent their childhoods in close proximity in Miami, Florida, although without knowing each other. While Jenkins found the main character, Chiron, reflective of himself,[7][22] he did hold "some reservations and doubts" about adapting McCraney's play on account of being heterosexual; however, their shared characteristics and McCraney's trust in Jenkins emboldened him.[10] Jenkins' screenplay – which he composed in ten days – expands upon McCraney's story, having more resources and control at his disposal than he had before.[13] The movie was shot in 25 days, in Miami; the filming described by Naomie Harris as "very low-budget, it was very intimate film-making, collaborative".[13][24] It premiered at theTelluride Film Festival in September 2016 to a substantial amount of awards and critical acclaim.[25][26] According to film scholar Rahul Hamid, it was among the "most celebrated films of 2016, boasting ... inclusion in all of the major top ten lists".[27] "He became the breakout of the year", saidCamonghne Felix.[11]
The film wondozens of accolades, including theGolden Globe Award for Best Picture – Drama[28] and theAcademy Award for Best Picture at the89th Academy Awards.[29] Jenkins and McCraney also wonBest Adapted Screenplay. Overall, the film received eight Oscar nominations, includingBest Director.[30] Described as historic, Justin Gomer, scholar of American Studies, said that is "the most racially significant film to ever win", with it affecting the overall"whiteness" of the Oscars.[31][32][33]Anthropologist Elizabeth Davis stated thatMoonlight and similar films' acclaim indicates an "increase in the social and institutional recognition and approval of blackness".[34] In 2022,in a poll of 1,639 participating critics, programmers, curators, archivists and academics,Sight and Sound crownedMoonlight as the 60th greatest film of all time.[35]
In 2017, Jenkins directed the fifth episode of the Netflix original seriesDear White People, having been chosen due to his work onMoonlight. In line with the show's other directors, Jenkins' work was guided by an overall visual framework, although he was encouraged to be distinctive.[36] In 2013, the same year he wroteMoonlight, Jenkins had written afilm adaptation ofJames Baldwin's novelIf Beale Street Could Talk.[37] Production began in October 2017 withAnnapurna Pictures, Pastel, andPlan B.[38] Jenkins worked closely with Baldwin's estate and was given handwritten notes about how he would have approached a film version – "a slow epiphany" is how Jenkins described reading the notes.[39] The adaptation is largely faithful to the source material, although aspects, such as the opening and ending, are changed.[40][41] The film was released in December 2018 to critical acclaim. It garnerednumerous accolades, including Best Supporting Actress wins forRegina King at theAcademy Awards andGolden Globes. Jenkins received an Academy Award nomination forBest Adapted Screenplay.
Aided by his previous television work, Jenkins directed the 2021television series adaptation ofColson Whitehead's novelThe Underground Railroad, the series being a passion project for Jenkins. It was initiated byAmazon Studios (and subsequently ordered to series in June 2018) after Jenkins' strong Oscar haul forMoonlight. The main cast ofThe Underground Railroad includesThuso Mbedu as Cora, with Chase W. Dillon as Homer andAaron Pierre as Caesar.[42][43]
"[Bringing] together a group of disparate artists", Jenkins and the casting director, Francine Maisler, searched worldwide for an actor to play Cora and sought those then-undiscovered.[40][44] The series' creation was deeply personal – with Jenkins once receiving an assessment by the on-set therapist.[45][46] It proved to be the most difficult project of his career yet with him feeling a closer attachment to hisancestral past.[45] The show was met with critical acclaim; it was the most recent entry to the BBC's 2021 list of the 21st century's greatest TV shows.[47][48] In 2024, he wrote a screenplay based on the life of boxerClaressa Shields titledThe Fire Inside[11][49][50] and directedMufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to the CGI remake of Disney'sThe Lion King that primarily concerns the coming of age origins ofMufasa.[50]
More recently, his Pastel production company signed a first look deal withHBO,HBO Max andA24.[51] In 2023 he was slated to serve as head of thePlatform Prize jury at the2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[52]
In 2025, he signed to directUniversal'ssci-fi thrillerThe Natural Order, starringGlen Powell and based on an upcoming novel of the same name by Matthew Aldrich, who would co-write the screenplay alongside Jenkins.[53] Jenkins also signed on to directZendaya inA24's biopic on the life ofRonettes singerRonnie Spector,Be My Baby. The film, being written byDave Kajganich, was to focus on a specific moment of Spector's life, namely her relationship with troubled producerPhil Spector.[54]
Untitled time travel film
In an interview in 2016, Jenkins revealed that in the aftermath ofMedicine for Melancholy he wrote and developed a manic-soundingepic about "Stevie Wonder andtime travel," involving a mysterious mansion inHarlem and a vintageMoog synthesizer with magical, spacetime-altering properties. Jenkins was working on the film withFocus Features, but it never panned out.[4]
Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man film
Also in the aftermath ofMedicine for Melancholy, Jenkins penned a screenplay adaptation, on assignment, ofBill Clegg's 2010 memoir,Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man.[4]
The Intuitionist film
Years prior to his work onThe Underground Railroad, Jenkins had tried to adaptThe Intuitionist, the first novel by the same author,Colson Whitehead.[46][55]
Expatriate film
In January 2018, Jenkins was attached to directChadwick Boseman in thethriller filmExpatriate, set around a 1970splane hijacking. Boseman wrote the script with his writing partner Logan Coles.[56] The film remains unrealized as of Boseman's death.
Alvin Ailey biopic
In June 2019,Deadline announced that Jenkins was attached to directFox Searchlight'sbiopic aboutAlvin Ailey, one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century.[57] As of 2024 the film was still in development, and was considered by Jenkins as a possible follow up toMufasa.[58]
Virunga film
Deadline also reported that Jenkins would team up withLeonardo DiCaprio andNetflix, to write the feature adaptation on the documentaryVirunga. The true story follows rangers risking their lives to saveAfrica'smost precious national park and its endangeredgorillas.[59]
The Knick season 3
In September 2020,Steven Soderbergh confirmed that a new season ofThe Knick was in development led by Jenkins.[60]
Jenkins has a close working relationship with cinematographerJames Laxton, stating that "the way we are on set is a shared language, a shared approach to the imagery". On set, Jenkins said that their goal is to incorporate as much of their preceding deliberations as possible whilst still considerate of the actors' needs and available time. He has stated his approach as precise and intimate: "always on set thinking about what else I can do"; his style has been noted to have specific focus upon the emotive states of the characters.[13][61] Aaron Pierre described Jenkins as "the epitome of a leader ... because he ensured that everyone was feeling safe, everyone was feeling supported".[62] Jenkins has cited James Baldwin as a significant influence, reflecting that in his early career he was "obsessed" with him.[20][63]Claire Denis'Friday Night was the inspiration behindMedicine for Melancholy.[64] He credits his romantic partner and fellow filmmakerLulu Wang with inspiring him, "add[ing] rigor to creative practice".[11]Morgan Jerkins opined that Jenkins, who re-reads texts he is adapting, "is not only a filmmaker but also abibliophile who pulls from both historical and contemporary sources".[10]
Despite a more intense plot and themes, discussing parenting, friendship, and black masculinity, especially in regards to sexual orientation, Jenkins made the decision to invertMedicine for Melancholy's sombre color palette inMoonlight; he wished for the audience to be immersed and for there to be a "softness around the characters" – a desire also reflected in his choice of aspect ratio, 2:35.[13][27] Each of the film's three distinct chapters feature specific visuals, with the general visuals underscoring the themes of the film and intended to "elevate" the story.[26] Visuals are a key aspect of his storytelling, with focus upon how he can "visually translate [a] story".[10] Various elements ofMoonlight represent time, a particular interest of Jenkins; he "transforms time's passing into a series of rites of passage" and useschopped and screwed's manipulation of time throughout the film.[13][65]
Moonlight,If Beale Street Could Talk andThe Underground Railroad compose, in the eyes of Jenkins, a thematic trilogy, exploringchildhood abandonment – including his own feelings.Moonlight depicts his childhood experience as he lived it whereasIf Beale Street Could Talk showcased his, at times, desired family; Whitehead's novel helped him process his feelings of abandonment and he recognized separation of family as a prominent aspect of the story.[5][8] Jenkins has expressed an inclination to empathize with the characters in his work.[46]Adele Romanski identifiedMedicine for Melancholy,Moonlight,If Beale Street Could Talk as variations upon a template: a love story.[6] Jenkins noted thatMoonlight andIf Beale Street Could Talk are most similar in their visuals.[63]
In bothMedicine for Melancholy andMoonlight, Jenkins couples introspection with speculation upon Black identity;Moonlight andIf Beale Street Could Talk are "tough but tender meditations on African American lives".[13][66] Gomer aligned Jenkins with "the history of black independent filmmakers and artists who interrogate the category of blackness itself".[33] Jenkins has stated that, amidst his solemn consideration of the craft andformalism of film, he seeks to articulate his "personal experience, what it feels like to be a young black man in America" – his perception evident inMy Josephine, and surmised to be inMoonlight, saying of the former "it fucking worked. I thought, 'This is what I am going to do for the rest of my life.'"[13][14][67][b]
WithMoonlight, Jenkins intertwined "well-known images and stories of contemporary Black life" withqueer identity and made theintersectional nature "more legible, not to white audiences but to black communities".[68][69] Whiteness is diminished inMoonlight, which has been said to defy traditional Hollywood understandings of black masculinity and general black identity, showcasing a spectrum of black sexuality and masculinity.[70][71][32][c]The Underground Railroad similarly breaks away, Jenkins choosing to avoid a portrayal of slaves as solely virtuous – Jenkins having "distinguish[ed]" himself from what Gomer dubs "New Black Hollywood".[33][72] "I hope it can recontextualise rather than reinforce stereotypes about my ancestors, that have been allowed to persist over the decades", Jenkins said.[5]
AfterThe Underground Railroad's release Felix wrote that Jenkins "is breaking the fourth wall to help Black people look themselves in the eye". She viewed the changed ending ofIf Beale Street Could Talk as an attempt "to give his mostly Black viewership a happy ending, or at least a happier one".[11] Jenkins has expressed consideration of his audience, considering such a perspective as a byproduct of film's expensive nature, although he does not desire to "make decisions that anticipate the reaction of an audience".[73]
Jenkins began dating filmmakerLulu Wang in 2018.[74] In December 2024, they were married at a private ceremony.[75]
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Medicine for Melancholy | Yes | Yes | No | [76] |
| 2016 | Moonlight | Yes | Yes | No | [77] |
| 2018 | If Beale Street Could Talk | Yes | Yes | Yes | [38] |
| 2020 | Charm City Kings | No | Story | No | [78] |
| 2022 | Aftersun | No | No | Yes | [79] |
| 2023 | All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt | No | No | Yes | [80] |
| 2024 | The Fire Inside | No | Yes | Yes | [81] |
| Mufasa: The Lion King | Yes | No | No | [82] | |
| 2025 | Sorry, Baby | No | No | Yes | [83] |
| Preparation for the Next Life | No | No | Yes | [84] |
Television
| Year | Title | Creator | Director | Writer | Executive producer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Dear White People | No | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Chapter V" | [85] |
| 2021 | The Underground Railroad | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 episodes | [50] |
| 2022 | Light & Magic | No | No | No | No | Appeared in 2 episodes | |
| 2024 | True Detective | No | No | No | Yes |
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