Sidney Poitier was one of the most acclaimed and recognizable stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood with a career spanning more than five decades and was the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Additionally, Poitier was also a director and an activist in the Civil Rights Movement. Sidney was in development and production for five years and draws upon eight hours of interview footage with Poitier himself conducted by Oprah Winfrey in 2012 along with commentary from Winfrey, Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Quincy Jones, cultural critic Nelson George, and Lulu, Poitier’s co-star in To Sir With Love. The film is directed by Reginald Hudlin.  The film premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.  In Variety, Peter Debruge wrote, “Few movie stars have been more inspirational than Poitier, who was more than just a movie star, but also a symbol to so many  – be they inspiring Black performers or the public at large, who saw their own views on Civil Rights embodied in the characters he played.”

The documentary had full support of Poitier’s family, and we are delighted his daughter, Pamela Poitier, will be joining us for this special screening.  Pamela Poiter is an accomplished and award-winning actor of theatre, television, and feature films. She is an author and s former teacher at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York City. Pamela is a conservationist who lives totally off the grid on Cat Island in the Bahamas and is active in teaching children the importance of conservation and recycling. Following the screening, Pamela will participate in an on-stage interview with Jackie Alexander, Producing Artistic Director of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company, producers of the International Black Theatre Festival.