Indie filmmaker Barry Jenkins pulled off quite the feat in 2016. Missing in the wilderness since 2008—he couldn’t get a film off the ground, but had several in the works that didn’t pan out—he finally returned in 2016 with “Moonlight” and that picture would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in the most controversial manner possible.
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2018
Jenkins’ career seemingly minted for life, Megan Ellison and Annapurna Pictures quickly pounced on the director and basically gave him carte blanche for what to do next. He chose “If Beale Street Could Talk,” an adaptation of James Baldwin‘s poignant novel about a woman fighting to free her falsely accused husband from prison before the birth of their child.
READ MORE: ‘Widows,’ ‘Beautiful Boy’ And ‘Beale Street’ Are TIFF’s Oscar Contending Premieres
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” is the story of Tish, a newly engaged Harlem woman who races against the clock to prove her lover’s innocence while carrying their first born child. It is a celebration of love told through the story of a young couple, their families and their lives, trying to bring about justice through love, for love and the promise of the American dream.
“If Beale Street Could Talk” stars Kiki Layne, Stephan James, Teyonah Parris, Regina King, Colman Domingo plus Diego Luna, Pedro Pascal, Dave Franco, Brian Tyree Henry from “Atlanta,” Ed Skrein, Finn Wittrock from “Dunkirk” and more.
Jenkins wrote the screenplay during the same summer sojourn in 2013 when he penned “Moonlight” and courted the Baldwin family for years to earn their trust. Upon its announcement in 2017 the director said, “James Baldwin is a man of and ahead of his time; his interrogations of the American consciousness have remained relevant to this day. To translate the power of Tish and Fonny’s love to the screen in Baldwin’s image is a dream I’ve long held dear. Working alongside the Baldwin Estate, I’m excited to finally make that dream come true.”
117 minutes, in the can and ready to go, “”If Beale Street Could Talk” will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in the the Special Presentations section. Annapurna Pictures will then release the film two months later on November 30 right in the heart of Oscar season. Watch the first trailer that Jenkins has revealed himself on the anniversary of James Baldwin’s birth.