Cinematic Soul Food Movies Where Black Lives Do Matter
The tsunami-like effect of the Black Lives Matter movement is not only sweeping us forward towards an uncertain future but, like a riptide, pulling us backward through ignored history. It is a time to look forward as constructively as we reassess the trajectory of the journey that stretches behind us. One of the ways where ...
The 91st Academy Awards Were Packed with Powerful Moments
Wow, 2018 gave an incredible class of movies. It was a year that moved, inspired, thrilled and challenged us in innovative ways. We have been celebrating these filmmakers each day, but last night’s Oscars ceremony shone a light on the astonishing diversity and power in storytelling over the past year. BlacKkKlansman, The Favourite, A Star ...
Oscar-Nominated Composer Nicholas Britell on Nailing the Tone for Vice and If Beale Street Could Talk
*In the run-up to this Sunday’s Oscars telecast, we’re sharing some of our favorite interviews with nominees. Juilliard-trained New York composer Nicholas Britell worked non-stop in 2018 and now he’s got two Oscar shortlisted movie scores to show for it. Early in the year, he teamed with Moonlight director Barry Jenkins to write the music ...
Oscar Watch: Composer Nicholas Britell on Nailing the Tone for Vice and If Beale Street Could Talk
Juilliard-trained New York composer Nicholas Britell worked non-stop in 2018 and now he’s got two Oscar shortlisted movie scores to show for it. Early in the year, he teamed with Moonlight director Barry Jenkins to write the music for If Beale Street Could Talk, the tragic love story set in early-’70s Harlem. Then he scored ...
Oscar Watch: DP James Laxton on Creating Radical Intimacy in If Beale Street Could Talk
Oscar-nominated cinematographer James Laxton (Moonlight) and his longtime collaborator director Barry Jenkins did something novel with If Beale Street Could Talk, and we’re not just talking about the fact the film is adapted from the legendary James Baldwin’s titular novel. Unlike their previous collaborations, 2008’s Medicine for Melancholy, set in San Francisco, and 2016’s Oscar-winning Moonlight, set in Miami, Beale Street unfolds in a city ...
Oscar Watch: Barry Jenkins on his Lyrical Adaptation of If Beale Street Could Talk
If Beale Street Could Talk has been getting awards buzz and accolades for months, and with the Golden Globes set to arrive this Sunday, Barry Jenkins second masterpiece (in a row, no less) will be one of the night’s big winners. Still hot from his 3 Oscar wins for Moonlight, Jenkins is reaffirming he’s a major force ...
Oscar Watch: If Beale Street Could Talk’s KiKi Layne on Love, Stillness, & Working With Barry Jenkins
KiKi Layne stars as Tish Rivers in Barry Jenkins’s adaptation of the novel by James Baldwin. A beautiful love story layered in social commentary, as relevant now as it was when the novel was originally released in 1974, Layne draws the viewer in with one of the best performances of the year, making you feel ...
How James Baldwin Inspired If Beale Street Could Talk Costume Designer Caroline Eselin-Schaefer
In the beginning was the word, as set down by James Baldwin in his 1974 novel “If Beale Street Could Talk.” The movie adaptation from Moonlight auteur Barry Jenkins and his team drew on Baldwin’s text when it came to visualizing this story for the big screen. Costume designer Caroline Eselin-Schaefer says, “James Baldwin gave ...
The Riveting First Trailer for Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk
After helming one of the most emotionally resonant films in recent memory, the Best Picture-winning Moonlight, writer/director Barry Jenkins’ follow-up film comes with high expectations. After watching the trailer for his If Beale Street Could Talk, based on the acclaimed James Baldwin novel, we know that Jenkins is no one-hit wonder—he looks to be one ...
