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Barry Jenkins (born November 19, 1979) is an American filmmaker. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film ''My Josephine'' (2003), he directed his first feature film '' Medicine for Melancholy'' (2008) for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for
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. He is also a member of The Chopstars collective as a creative collaborator. Following an eight-year hiatus from feature filmmaking, Jenkins directed and co-wrote the LGBT-themed independent drama ''
Moonlight Moonlight consists of mostly sunlight (with little earthlight) reflected from the parts of the Moon's surface where the Sun's light strikes. Illumination The intensity of moonlight varies greatly depending on the lunar phase, but even the ful ...
'' (2016), which won numerous accolades, including the
Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...
. Jenkins received an
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
nomination for
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BAF ...
and jointly won the
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musica ...
with Tarell Alvin McCraney. He became the 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 earned nominations for his screenplay at the Academy Awards and
Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
. He is also known for his work in television. Jenkins directed "Chapter V" of the Netflix series ''
Dear White People ''Dear White People'' is a 2014 American satirical dark comedy-drama film written, directed and co-produced by Justin Simien. The film focuses on escalating racial tensions at a fictitious, prestigious Ivy League college from the perspective of ...
'' in 2017. In 2021, he directed the
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limited series '' The Underground Railroad'' based on the novel of the same name and received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie nomination. In 2017, Jenkins was included on the annual ''Time'' 100 list of the most influential people in the world.


Early life

Jenkins was born in 1979 at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, the youngest of four siblings, each from a different father. 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. Jenkins, in later life, still has "no idea who my 'real' father is". "I don't think any of us were planned, but I was definitely a mistake", he had later said. His mother, a nurse, suffered from a crack-cocaine addiction, and was a teenage runaway whom Jenkins has said abandoned him. Jenkins grew up in Liberty 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". As a teenager Jenkins lived with friends from
Miami Northwestern Senior High School Miami Northwestern Senior High School is a public four-year high school located in Miami, Florida, United States History Academics Northwestern has long been known for its academic challenges; however, the school has shown an unprecedented ...
, at which he played football and ran track. His disordered and lonely childhood led him to retreat inwards and develop an active imagination. He hoped to pursue a creative-writing degree. Jenkins studied film at the
Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts The Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts (colloquially known as The Film School) is the film school of the Florida State University. About 215 students are enrolled in classes, including undergraduates and graduate students, inc ...
(FSU), where he met many of his future frequent collaborators, including cinematographer
James Laxton James Laxton is an American cinematographer best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Barry Jenkins, specifically his work on Jenkins' 2016 film ''Moonlight'', for which he won an Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards ...
, producer
Adele Romanski Adele Marie Romanski (; born November 10, 1982) is an American independent film producer. She is best known for producing the films ''Moonlight'' and ''The Myth of the American Sleepover''. ''Moonlight'' received eight Oscar nominations at the 8 ...
and editors
Nat Sanders Nathaniel "Nat" Sanders (born August 9, 1980) is an American film editor. He is best known for his collaborations with Destin Daniel Cretton and Barry Jenkins. He won Independent Spirit Awards for both '' Short Term 12'' (2013) and ''Moonlight'' ...
and
Joi McMillon Joi McMillon is an American film editor, known for her work on the Academy Award-winning film '' Moonlight'' (2016), for which she won several accolades. Career McMillon initially planned to be a journalist, but a high school field trip to Univ ...
. His decision to study there was instigated by an initial visit: "I thought: This is the blackest place in America. I gotta be here". Feeling inadequate in regards to his technological skillmanship, Jenkins took a year off to advance it. Jenkins felt a general lack of confidence at the start of the programme, which began for Jenkins in a spontaneous manner. To resolve his personal misgivings he looked towards foreign arthouse cinema, in a divergence from the inspirations of his classmates, such as Steven Spielberg,
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...
, and Wes Anderson. While at Florida State, Jenkins became a member of
Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities , historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...
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 a
production assistant A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a member of the film crew and is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production. The job of a PA can vary greatly depending on the budget ...
. He became disillusioned with "Hollywood film-making" after working for
Harpo Productions Harpo Productions (or Harpo Studios) is an American multimedia production company founded by Oprah Winfrey and based in West Hollywood, California. It is the sole subsidiary of her media and entertainment company Harpo, Inc. The name "Harpo" is ...
, 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".


Career


2000s–2010s: Early work

Jenkins' first film was his 2001 short ''My Josephine'', which follows the romantic life of a young Arabic-speaking man, following the September 11 attacks. Previously he had fretted over his chances of success due to his racial and class identity, but ''My Josephine'' demonstrated that "I could do the work to make myself as accomplished as anyone else". He then explored black children being tried as adults for the deaths of their peers in ''Little Brown Boy''. He'd later follow it up with '' Medicine for Melancholy.'' The film, which has been linked to the mumblecore scene, stars
Wyatt Cenac Wyatt John Foster Cenac Jr. (; born April 19, 1976) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. He was a correspondent and writer for ''The Daily Show'' from 2008 to 2012. He starred in the TBS series '' People of Earth'' and in Barry ...
and Tracey Heggins. 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". 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". Following ''Medicine for Melancholy'', Jenkins wrote multiple scripts: an epic for Focus Features about "Stevie Wonder and time travel" and adaptations of '' If Beale Street Could Talk'' and a memoir by Bill Clegg. He later worked as a
carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters t ...
and co-founded Strike Anywhere, an advertising company. In 2011, he wrote and directed ''Remigration'', a
sci-fi Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...
short film about
gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...
. Jenkins became a writer for HBO's ''The Leftovers'', about which he has said, "I didn't get to do much." In 2012, he received a
United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...
Fellowship grant. 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".


2016: ''Moonlight''

Jenkins directed and co-wrote, with Tarell Alvin McCraney, the 2016 drama ''Moonlight'', his first feature film in eight years. It's an adaptation of McCraney's play ''In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue''. Both lives influenced the production, having spent their childhoods in close proximity although without knowing each other; Jenkins found the main character, Chiron, reflective of himself. Jenkins 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. 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. 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". It premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in September 2016 to a substantial amount of awards and critical acclaim. 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". "He became the breakout of the year", said Camonghne Felix. The film won dozens of accolades, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture – Drama and the
Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...
at the 89th Academy Awards. Jenkins and McCraney also won
Best Adapted Screenplay This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress# ...
. Overall, the film received eight Oscar nominations, including
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BAF ...
. Described as historic, scholar of American Studies, Justin Gomer said that is "the most racially significant film to ever win", with it affecting the overall "whiteness" of the Oscars.
Anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and v ...
Elizabeth Davis stated that ''Moonlight'' and similar films' acclaim indicates an "increase in the social and institutional recognition and approval of blackness". In 2022, in a poll of 1,639 participating critics, programmers, curators, archivists and academics, ''
Sight and Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...
'' crowned ''Moonlight'' as the 60th greatest film of all time.


2017–present: Further projects

In 2017, Jenkins directed the fifth episode of the Netflix original series ''
Dear White People ''Dear White People'' is a 2014 American satirical dark comedy-drama film written, directed and co-produced by Justin Simien. The film focuses on escalating racial tensions at a fictitious, prestigious Ivy League college from the perspective of ...
'', having been chosen due to his work on ''Moonlight''. In line with the show's other directors, Jenkins' work was guided by an overall visual framework, although he was encouraged to be distinctive. In 2013, the same year he wrote ''Moonlight'', Jenkins had written a
film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...
of
James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer. He garnered acclaim across various media, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'', was published in 1953; d ...
's novel '' If Beale Street Could Talk''. Production began in October 2017 with
Annapurna Pictures Annapurna Pictures is an independent American media company founded by Megan Ellison in 2011, that specializes in film production, live theatre production, television through its Annapurna Television division, and video game publishing throug ...
, Pastel, and Plan B. 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. The adaptation is largely faithful to the source material, although aspects, such as the opening and ending, are changed. The film was released in December 2018 to critical acclaim. It garnered numerous accolades, including Best Supporting Actress wins for Regina King at the
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
and
Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
. Jenkins received an Academy Award nomination for
Best Adapted Screenplay This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress# ...
. Aided by his previous television work, Jenkins directed the 2021 television series adaptation of
Colson Whitehead Arch Colson Chipp Whitehead (born November 6, 1969) is an American novelist. He is the author of eight novels, including his 1999 debut work '' The Intuitionist''; '' The Underground Railroad'' (2016), for which he won the 2016 National Book Awar ...
's novel ''The Underground Railroad'', the series being a passion project for Jenkins. It was initiated by
Amazon Studios Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...
(and subsequently ordered to series in June 2018) after Jenkins' strong Oscar haul for ''Moonlight''. The main cast of ''The Underground Railroad'' includes Thuso Mbedu as Cora, with Chase W. Dillon as Homer and Aaron Pierre as Caesar. "
ringing Ringing may mean: Vibrations * Ringing (signal), unwanted oscillation of a signal, leading to ringing artifacts * Vibration of a harmonic oscillator ** Bell ringing * Ringing (telephony), the sound of a telephone bell * Ringing (medicine), a ring ...
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. The series' creation was deeply personal – with Jenkins once receiving an assessment by the on-set therapist. It proved to be the most difficult project of his career yet with him feeling a closer attachment to his ancestral past. 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. The next major film Jenkins is set to direct is ''Mufasa: The Lion King'', a prequel to the CGI remake of Disney's ''The Lion King'' that primarily concerns the coming of age origins of Mufasa. Upcoming projects include a screenplay adapting '' Virunga'', another based on the life of boxer
Claressa Shields Claressa Maria Shields (born March 17, 1995) is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist. She has held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the undisputed female light middleweight title since March 202 ...
titled '' Flint Strong'', and a biographical film about choreographer Alvin Ailey which he will direct. More recently, his Pastel production company signed a first look deal with
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television, premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office busi ...
, HBO Max and
A24 A24 is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. It is based in New York City. A24 was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. Prior ...
.


Artistry

Jenkins has a close working relationship with cinematographer
James Laxton James Laxton is an American cinematographer best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Barry Jenkins, specifically his work on Jenkins' 2016 film ''Moonlight'', for which he won an Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards ...
, 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's 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. Pierre described Jenkins as the "as the epitome of a leader ... because he ensured that everyone was feeling safe, everyone was feeling supported". Jenkins has cited Baldwin as a significant influence, reflecting that in his early career he was "obsessed" with him.
Claire Denis Claire Denis (; born 21 April 1946) is a French film director and screenwriter. Her feature film '' Beau Travail'' (1999) has been called one of the greatest films of the 1990s, as well as of all time. Other acclaimed works include '' Trouble E ...
' ''
Friday Night Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth day ...
'' was the inspiration behind ''Medicine for Melancholy''. He credits his romantic partner and fellow filmmaker Lulu Wang with inspiring him, "add ngrigor to creative practice".
Morgan Jerkins Morgan Jerkins (born 1992) is an American writer and editor. Her debut book, ''This Will Be My Undoing'' (2018), a collection of nonfiction essays, was a ''New York Times'' bestseller. Her second book, ''Wandering in Strange Lands'', was released ...
opined that Jenkins, who re-reads texts he's adapting, "is not only a filmmaker but also a
bibliophile Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...
who pulls from both historical and contemporary sources"''.'' Despite a more intense plot and themes, discussing parenting, friendship, and black masculinity, especially in regards to sexual orientation, Jenkins made the decision to invert ''Medicine for Melancholy'''s sombre color palette in ''Moonlight;'' 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. 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. Visuals are a key aspect of his storytelling, with focus upon how he can "visually translate story". Various elements of ''Moonlight'' represent time, a particular interest of Jenkins; he "transforms time's passing into a series of rites of passage" and uses
chopped and screwed Chopped and screwed (also called screwed and chopped or slowed and throwed) is a music genre and technique of remixing music that involves slowing down the tempo and deejaying. It developed in the Houston hip hop scene in the early 1990s by DJ ...
's manipulation of time throughout the film. ''Moonlight'', ''If Beale Street Could Talk'' and ''The Underground Railroad'' compose, in the eyes of Jenkins, a thematic trilogy, exploring childhood abandonment – including his own feelings. ''Moonlight'' depicts his childhood experience as he lived it whereas ''If 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. Jenkins has expressed an inclination to empathize with the characters in his work.
Adele Romanski Adele Marie Romanski (; born November 10, 1982) is an American independent film producer. She is best known for producing the films ''Moonlight'' and ''The Myth of the American Sleepover''. ''Moonlight'' received eight Oscar nominations at the 8 ...
identified ''Medicine for Melancholy'', ''Moonlight'', ''If Beale Street Could Talk'' as variations upon a template: a love story. Jenkins noted that ''Moonlight'' and ''If Beale Street Could Talk'' are most similar in their visuals.


Black identity

In both ''Medicine for Melancholy'' and ''Moonlight'', Jenkins couples introspection with speculation upon black identity; ''Moonlight'' and ''If Beale Street Could Talk'' are "tough but tender meditations on African American lives". Gomer aligned Jenkins with "the history of black independent filmmakers and artists who interrogate the category of blackness itself". Jenkins has stated that, amidst his solemn consideration of the craft and formalism of film, he seeks to articulate his "personal experience, what it feels like to be a young black man in America" – his perception evident in ''My Josephine'', and surmised to be in ''Moonlight'', saying of the former "it fucking worked. I thought, 'This is what I am going to do for the rest of my life. With ''Moonlight'', Jenkins intertwined "well-known images and stories of contemporary Black life" with
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...
identity and made the intersectional nature "more legible, not to white audiences but to black communities". Whiteness is diminished in ''Moonlight'', which has been said to defy traditional Hollywood understandings of black masculinity and general black identity, showcasing a spectrum of black sexuality and masculinity. ''The Underground Railroad'' similarly breaks away, Jenkins choosing to avoid a portrayal of slaves as solely virtuous – Jenkins having "distinguish d himself from what Gomer dubs " New Black Hollywood". "I hope it can recontextualise rather than reinforce stereotypes about my ancestors, that have been allowed to persist over the decades", Jenkins said. After ''The 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 of ''If Beale Street Could Talk'' as an attempt "to give his mostly Black viewership a happy ending, or at least a happier one". 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".


Filmography

Film Television


Accolades


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Barry 1979 births Living people African-American film directors American film directors Writers from Miami Florida State University alumni Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners Independent Spirit Award for Best Director winners Film directors from Florida Screenwriters from Florida American male screenwriters African-American screenwriters 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American people African-American male writers African-American film producers Film producers from Florida American television directors African-American television directors American television writers American television producers African-American television producers