Baldwin has been a chronicler of what it means to be black in America. He has written eloquently about what it means to be gay in America. His essays have been eye-opening and influential for generations of writers and artists. He was also a passionate film critic.

So it’s unfathomable to me that this is the first American adaptation of any of Baldwin’s many masterful novels. (French director Robert Guédiguian adapted Beale Street as A la Place du Coeur in 1998). I understand that his estate has been protective - understandably - but also there is truth to what Jenkins said at the Spirit Awards.

Personally Baldwin has been hugely influential. I remember reading Giovanni’s Room as a young teenager and being gobsmacked that queer love existed unapologetically even in the 1950s. A friend gave me The Fire Next Time when I made the decision to immigrate to America, to ensure that I knew what I was getting into. Another Country remains possibly my favorite novel of all time, with its dense narrative and multiple vivid characters. It's a story that is perhaps closest to Baldwin’s life as it is set in New York and Paris, the two cities where he lived and wrote. Hopefully the success of this adaptation and the Oscar it brought to Regina King, will help get his other novels to the screen. And not just Baldwin, there are many great black writers who remain woefully underrepresented in American cinema.