Age: 46
male
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 Best First Feature. He is also a creative collaborator and a member of The Chopstars collective. Following an eight-year hiatus from feature filmmaking, Jenkins directed and co-wrote the LGBTQ-themed independent drama Moonlight (2016), which won numerous accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. Jenkins received an Oscar nomination for Best Director and jointly won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay with Tarell Alvin McCraney. He became the fourth Black person nominated for Best Director and the second to direct a Best Picture winner. He released his third directorial feature If Beale Street Could Talk 2018, to critical praise and earned nominations for his screenplay at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. He is also known for his work in television. In 2017, Jenkins directed "Chapter V" of the Netflix series Dear White People. In 2021, he created and directed the Amazon Video limited series The Underground Railroad, based on the novel of the same name. The series received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie nomination and won a Peabody Award. In 2017, Jenkins was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Description above from the Wikipedia article Barry Jenkins, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Barry Jenkins
Writer
for Writer in Somewhere Over the Rainbow: The Braddah IZ Story
Suggested by kamsismith
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow: The Braddah IZ Story" is a moving and inspiring biopic that captures the life, struggles, and transcendent legacy of Israel Kamakawiwoʻole—an artist whose music touched millions and a cultural icon who carried the spirit of Hawaii in every note. From his humble beginnings in Honolulu’s working-class neighborhoods to his rise as a beloved Hawaiian musician, the film delves into IZ’s unwavering dedication to his culture, his family, and his dream of sharing Hawaii’s story with the world. We follow his journey through the streets of Makaha, where he found his voice and a brotherhood in music with the Makaha Sons of Niʻihau, to the recording studio where his haunting medley of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” became a global sensation. But this isn’t just a story of fame—it’s a deeply personal exploration of a man grappling with the pressures of his growing success, his health struggles, and the weight of being a cultural ambassador for Hawaii. As IZ faces his battles, his music becomes a beacon of hope, resilience, and aloha, inspiring his people to stand proud of their heritage and bringing a message of unity and love to a fractured world.
