Barry Jenkins created and directed the 2021 miniseries The Underground Railroad, for which he received a Peabody Award and was nominated for an Emmy. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad tells the story of Cora, a slave in the Antebellum South during the 19th century, who makes a bid for freedom from her Georgia plantation.

In his New York Times review, James Poniewozik writes, "It’s as if [Jenkins] has figured out how to funnel more feeling through a camera lens than anyone else. The world he depicts is terrible, in every dictionary sense — both horrifying and awe-striking. Like Whitehead’s novel, the series is fabulistic yet grittily real. This is a beautiful work that pretties nothing up." Jenkins's previous films include Moonlight, which won the 2016 Academy Award for Best Picture. 

The Underground Railroad shows at BAMPFA over three days in five separate programs. Jenkins introduces the series and engages in discussions with interlocutors.

Friday, March 15, 2024

7:00 pm

The Underground Railroad: Chapters 1 and 2

Chapter 1: Georgia  

Chapter 2: South Carolina

Saturday, March 16, 2024

3:00 pm

The Underground Railroad: Chapters 3 and 4

Chapter 3: North Carolina

Chapter 4: The Great Spirit 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

7:00 pm

The Underground Railroad: Chapters 5, 6, and 7

Chapter 5: Tennessee — Exodus

Chapter 6: Tennessee — Proverbs

Chapter 7: Fanny Briggs

Sunday, March 17, 2024

1:00 pm

The Underground Railroad: Chapters 8 and 9

Chapter 8: Indiana Autumn

Chapter 9: Indiana Winter

Sunday, March 17, 2024

5:00 pm

The Underground Railroad: Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Mabel