Barry Jenkins on why he made 'Mufasa' and how it changed him as a filmmaker

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Over the four years he’s spent working on “Mufasa: The Lion King,” Barry Jenkins estimates that he’s been asked why he wanted to make it at least 400 times. Made with virtual filmmaking tools, “Mufasa” essentially plopped one of the most groundbreaking filmmakers working today into an all-digital playground, with a budget more than a hundred times that of “Moonlight.” Often in “Mufasa,” you can feel Jenkins’ sensibility warming and enhancing what can, in other less sensitively commanded films, feel soulless. This idea of family legacy, of finding your place in the world, those are things that are very present in “Moonlight” and “The Underground Railroad.” If I was telling you, “I’m going to make this film about this kid who has this almost biblical experience involving water and a parent figure that he then gets displaced from, and has to find his place in the world, I could be talking about “Moonlight” or I could be talking about “Mufasa.” AP: Were you motivated by expanding yourself as a filmmaker? The next time I go out to make a film whether it’s something like “The Underground Railroad” or “Beale Street,” James and I are probably going to incorporate these tools as well.