An award-winning screenwriter and producer; she has authored and co-authored numerous commissioned screenplays for feature films, including the award-winning film Battu, directed by Cheikh Oumar Sissoko for which she was also associate producer. Since co-founding Louverture Films with Danny Glover in 2005, Barnes has executively produced or produced the features Bamako, Salt of this Sea, Trouble the Water, Soundtrack for a Revolution (shortlisted for the Oscars), and the award-winning Black Power Mixtape. Barnes associate produced Elia Suleiman’s The Time that Remains and the 2010 Cannes Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. She has also served as an expert consultant and program officer at the United Nations.