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"Moonlight," out in U.S. theaters on Friday, follows a boy
named Chiron through three defining moments of his life in
childhood, adolescence and adulthood, as he grapples with his
sexuality and identity among his peers.
"There are a lot of people in America who feel disenfranchised,
who feel voiceless," Jenkins told Reuters.
"I think our story, for its specificity of character and place,
is giving voice to a world and a certain kind of person that
normally is unheard."
The film has garnered strong praise from critics and is already
being touted by experts as a frontrunner in Hollywood's annual
awards season.
Jenkins, who grew up in Miami, drew attention to social
disconnect within America, which he said was caused by "the fact
that we don't see each other often enough and when we don't see
each other, we create interpretations."
"There is a candidate running for president right now who
probably doesn't know anybody like the people he disparages
quite often," he said.
"Moonlight" comes eight years after Jenkins' feature-length
debut, "Medicine for Melancholy."
The director said his two films bookend Barack Obama's
presidency, that Obama's time in the White House was "deeply
impactful to myself and the group of black artists that I like,
I am in league with."
"No matter who wins the election, I think my duty as an American
filmmaker will be to give voice to whatever shift in the climate
takes place as a result of that election," he added.
(Reporting by Sarah Mills for Reuters TV in London; Writing by
Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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