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.
"Stretch: The Untold Story" will take audiences on a deep dive into the life of Randy “Stretch” Walker, a man whose legacy in hip hop has long been overshadowed by the infamous deaths of those around him. Through raw, never-before-seen footage and emotional storytelling, the film will showcase the duality of Stretch’s existence—as a loyal friend to Tupac Shakur and a burgeoning talent in the rap world, while also navigating the perils of the streets that ultimately led to his tragic death. From his early days in the gritty streets of Queens, New York, Stretch’s journey into the spotlight begins as he forms Live Squad, a rap group that pushes the boundaries of hardcore rap. His raw talent catches the attention of 2Pac, and soon, Stretch is brought into the fold of Thug Life—a revolutionary movement that would define a generation. However, as the Thug Life crew rises to fame, internal conflicts and external pressures begin to fracture relationships. The shocking 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur in a New York recording studio is a pivotal moment in the story, marking the end of Stretch’s collaboration with the rapper and setting the stage for a tragic fall from grace. Stretch's growing sense of disillusionment with the entertainment industry, coupled with the dangerous street politics surrounding him, come to a head as he faces betrayal, violence, and ultimately, his own untimely demise.
