Barry Jenkins celebrates James Baldwin's birthday with a If Beale Street Could Talk teaser

On this day in 1924, James Baldwin, writer, essayist, and eloquent commentator on the interwoven oppressions of race, sex, class, and sexuality in America, was born in New York City. And to commemorate the occasion, director Barry Jenkins has unveiled the trailer for If Beale Street Could Talk, the follow-up to his 2017 Best Picture winner Moonlight. Jenkins writes on Twitter:

For me, August 2nd has always been a day to pay tribute, so… a teaser of what’s to come. Happy Birthday, Jimmy.

Based on Baldwin’s novel, If Beale Street Could Talk stars Kiki Layne as Clementine “Tish” Rivers, a teenager growing up in Harlem in the early 1970s desperately searching for evidence to exonerate her boyfriend Alonzo “Fonny” Hunt (Stephan James) from false rape charges after discovering that she’s pregnant with his child. Teyonah Parris, Regina King, and Brian Tyree Henry co-star.

If Beale Street Could Talk hits theaters on November 30, 2018; expect to hear a lot more about it come awards season.