With all the buzz that Barry Jenkins’ new film If Beale Street Could Talk has been getting, Style Observer (SO) couldn’t wait to go watch it for ourselves. Luckily, Jamaica Observer Senior Associate Editor Lifestyle & Social Content Novia McDonald-Whyte was in London and was able to see the film. At a private screening for select cinephiles no less!

If Beale Street Could Talk is the film adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel of the same name in which the main character Tish Rivers (played by KiKi Layne) works tirelessly to prove the innocence of her finacé, who has been accused of a crime, before their first child is born. Regina Bell plays Tish’s mother Sharon Rivers and delivers a powerhouse performance that left the audience emotionally spent and in awe of her talent.

The screening was attended by the film’s director Barry Jenkins and actress Regina King. Jenkins, whose film Moonlight won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay in 2017, has been nominated for another this year in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for If Beale Street Could Talk. King won a Golden Globe last month for her supporting role in this film has also been nominated in the same category for this year’s Oscars. Best of luck!

After the screening Jenkins and King allowed the audience to participate in a Q&A session and, of course, posed for a few pics.