Barry Jenkins

Barry Jenkins is a highly acclaimed American independent filmmaker who has had, on balance, the most artistically successful career as a Black American cineaste since Spike Lee, including directing and writing the Oscar-winning Moonlight (2016). Jenkins impressively launched his feature filmmaking journey as director/writer of the gorgeous Bay Area-set love story, Medicine for Melancholy (2008), starring Wyatt Cenac, Tracey Heggins, and Elizabeth Acker, premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival and released by IFC Films and grossing nearly ten times its $15,000 budget.

Jenkins made two short films before Medicine for Melancholy, and then made four shorts afterward from 2009 to 2012, preceding his breakthrough project as director/writer of Moonlight (2016), based on playwright Tarbell Alvin McCraney’s unpublished play and story and co-starring Trevante Rhodes, Andre Holland, Janelle Monáe, Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali, and released by A24 to a potent $65 million (on a $4 million budget) along with a huge wave of critical support and industry awards and nominations.

Jenkins’ follow-up as director/writer/producer was another critical success, the elegant James Baldwin adaptation, If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), starring KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Michael Beach, Dave Franco, Diego Luna, Pedro Pascal, Ed Skrein, Brian Tyree Henry and Regina King, premiering at the Toronto Film Festival and grossing nearly $21 million for distributor Annapurna Pictures.

Barry Jenkins co-wrote the story (with Chris Boyd and Kirk Sullivan) for Angel Manuel Soto’s drama, Charm City Kings (2020), starring Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Meek Mills, Will Catlett, and Teyonah Parris, and premiering at the Sundance Film Festival before a release by HBO Max. Jenkins served as a producer only on his next two exceptional feature projects: British director/writer Charlotte Wells’ highly acclaimed father-daughter debut drama, Aftersun (2022); and another exceptional debut, Raven Jackson’s poetic family saga, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (2023), premiering at the Sundance Film Festival and produced and released by A24.

Jenkins joined another acclaimed work of Black cinema as both writer and producer of the boxing drama, The Fire Inside (2024), co-starring Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry under Rachel Morrison’s direction and released by Amazon MGM Studios. Jenkins was director only for the first time, and for his first big studio project—Disney’s computer-animated Mufasa: The Lion King (2024), with voice actors Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Seth Rogan, Beyoncé, Billy Eichner, Tiffany Boone, Donald Glover, and Mads Mikkelsen, and written by Jeff Nathanson.