French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told broadcaster BFM TV on Friday that drug-violence in France had reached a "tipping point."
Retailleau cited police reports that between 400 and 600 people carrying "all manner of weapons" had been involved in the fight
"It started off with a shooting at a restaurant
It ended up with a clash between rival gangs that involved several hundred people," he said
When police arrived at the scene on Thursday they deployed teargas and still needed nearly an hour to restore order.
First responders reportedly found a 15-year-old with a serious gunshot injury to the head
and two teens — 15 and 16 — who also sustained serious gunshot wounds
went to the hospital emergency room on their own for treatment of minor injuries
Police reported having found at least ten .22 caliber bullet casings at the scene and announced that state police would be deployed to Poitiers' Couronneries neighborhood where "tensions between different groups" were simmering
Retailleau presented a stark choice for France moving forward — "full mobilization," or "Mexicanization."
He is expected to announce new anti-trafficking measures next week in Marseille
where he will appear with Justice Minister Didier Migaud.
Gang-related drug violence has become a serious problem in France with numerous cities experiencing deadly conflict first hand
A French Senate investigative committee report recently estimated annual drug trafficking revenues in France at €3-6 billion ($3.3-6.6 billion)
"The 'narco thugs' have no limits any more..
These shootouts aren't happening in South America
we're at a tipping point," Retailleau said Friday
He was referring to a five-year-old boy being struck in the head by two bullets on October 27
caught in the crossfire of a highway car chase and shootout in northwestern Rennes
He said an "investigation is moving forward" in the case, adding that the boy's life was still in danger
Concern over the problem is thought to have led many voters in France to back the far-right
anti-immigrant National Rally party of Marine Le Pen — which has long highlighted the issue — in both EU and French elections
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The success of the movies made Poitier the top box-office draw of the year
Cosby returned for Poitier’s last directorial effort
but the film failed to match their earlier successes
His final role was in The Last Brickmaker in America (2001)
a TV movie about a grieving widower whose job is becoming obsolete
Poitier chronicled his experiences in This Life (1980) and The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (2000)
Life Beyond Measure: Letters to My Great-Granddaughter (2008) was a volume of advice and insights in epistolary form
Long regarded and celebrated as a saint within the Church
Hilary was also declared a Doctor of the Church in 1851
CNA is a service of EWTN News, Inc.
SaftMain activity: distributed solar power generationCommissioning: 2019
The project that TotalEnergies started working on in 2018 in Poitiers was aimed at achieving two goals: reducing the Saft industrial plant’s substantial energy bill and at the same time curbing its environmental impact
We installed photovoltaic panels on carport rooftops
Besides providing shade and protection for Saft employees’ parked cars
TotalEnergies’ solution produces 1.4 GWh of renewable energy directly on site each year
TotalEnergies has been active across the solar energy value chain for 40 years
delivering custom solutions ranging from electricity production to sale
TotalEnergies’ teams worked at our subsidiary Saft’s plant in Poitiers
The plant principally produces high-value-added cells and batteries for the electronics
and the project’s goal was to reduce its environmental impact and increase its energy efficiency.Achieving that goal—without disrupting the company’s operations—involved installing 2,730 solar panels on 5,500 sqm of carport rooftops
The solution has been up and running since January 2019
It produces 1.2 MW of renewable electricity on site each day
and up to 1.4 GWh a year—or enough to power more than 200 homes
This project to solar-power Saft’s plant is a perfect example of our strategy: it is reducing the customer’s electricity bill and shrinking its environmental footprint
Our teams set up a similar solution at Saft’s plant in Nersac (near Angoulême
as we intend to meet each of our customers’ specific needs
we set up a transformer to increase power to 20,000 volts
Shootings in Poitiers are latest to injure children
with minister saying country at ‘tipping point’ on drug violence
A shooting and massive brawl linked to drug trafficking has seriously wounded five people
in the latest such gunfight to injure children
The shooting began at about 10.45pm on Thursday in front of a restaurant in Poitiers and rapidly escalated into a mass fight
“What started as a shooting at a restaurant ended up in a fight between rival gangs that involved several hundred people,” Retailleau said
A 15-year-old boy who was shot in the head was in a critical condition
People in a car had opened fire on a bar-restaurant on the Place Coimbra
Police found the five victims near the bar
which was riddled with up to a dozen bullets
The officers were then attacked by youths amid a battle between rival gangs that at its height involved hundreds of people
Retailleau said France was at a “tipping point” when it came to drug-related violence
He said he was planning to travel later in the day to Rennes
where a five-year-old was critically ill after being shot last Saturday
“Trafficking gangs today have no limits,” he said
We have a choice between general mobilisation or the Mexicanisation of the country.”
The child in Rennes was hit by gunfire while in a car with his father in the city’s Maurepas neighbourhood
identified by intelligence services as one of the city’s major drug dealing areas
Police sources told France Info that while the fight on Thursday may have involved as many as 400 or 600 people during the course of the evening
it happened in phases and there were rarely more than 100 individuals taking part at any one time
said the gunfight was “another unacceptable episode of violence”
lamenting “in particular the young age of the victims and the participants” and praising the work of the police
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said the violence was “symptomatic of the gangrene that sets in as drug-trafficking grows” and promised police reinforcements would arrive on Friday to “ensure a return to calm and guarantee public order”
Drug-related violence in France has largely been associated with Marseille, which has had 17 drug-related killings so far this year, and where a 14-year-old boy was allegedly hired last month to carry out a revenge murder
In August, a 10-year-old boy in a car with his uncle was shot dead in suspected drugs-related violence in the southern town of Nimes
Police believe the killing was a case of mistaken identity as the car resembled one used in an earlier drive-by shooting
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He believed that "if your dreams do not scare you
they’re not big enough!" Poitier dreamed big
delivered one rousing performance after another
He was a formidable once-in-a-generation actor
His princely posture was inarguably perfect
He personified class in a world desperate for it
he was capable of portraying integrity and honor as well as any performer who has ever lived
no route had been established for where he was hoping to go
he embarked on his journey with unwavering ambition
His long list of accomplishments speaks for itself
Poitier finished his illustrious career having acted in over 50 films
Poitier became the first Black actor to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the drama The Defiant Ones (1958)
he became the first Black actor to win an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the drama Lilies of the Field (1963)
an Honorary Award for his extraordinary performances and unique on-screen presence
and for representing the industry with dignity
A.frame looks back on Poitier’s filmography and cherishes the work he left behind. Here are 13 films that Poitier worked on to watch in his honor
Icon_Audio-Video_-PlayCreated with Sketch.Where to watchDirected by: Joseph L
No Way Out marked Poitier’s first starring role
a young doctor who is assigned to treat two white racist brothers who have been shot and injured while attempting a robbery
Brooks to despicable racist abuse and orders his gang to riot in the local Black community
Widmark was uncomfortable playing the role and saying all of the horrible things his character says in the film
especially since he and Poitier had a friendship
No Way Out was one of the first Hollywood films to directly tackle the issue of racism
The film could be described as noir meets social message picture
Mankiewicz received an Oscar nomination for Best Writing
Icon_Audio-Video_-PlayCreated with Sketch.Where to watchDirected by: Martin Ritt
play two New York City longshoremen who forge a friendship that transcends the bigotry that surrounds them
The gritty drama was Martin Ritt’s feature film directorial debut
Icon_Audio-Video_-PlayCreated with Sketch.Where to watchDirected by: Stanley Kramer
The film marked the first time that Poitier’s name appeared above a movie’s title in the credits
Poitier and Tony Curtis portray two escaped convicts chained together
who must learn to stop quarreling and get along
Curtis believed in the project so much that he raised the budget for the film through his production company
It would be the only time in his career that Curtis would ever receive an Oscar nomination
The film received a total of nine Oscar nominations
winning in two categories; the film won an Oscar for Best Writing and another Oscar for Best Cinematography
Although he did not win the Oscar that night
Poitier’s nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role that year was one of the most important nominations of that entire ceremony
as it marked the very first time that a Black actor had been nominated for the Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar
Legally enforced public segregation would not be abolished until the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Icon_Audio-Video_-PlayCreated with Sketch.Where to watchDirected by: Otto Preminger
Porgy and Bess was an opera by composer George Gershwin
In this romantic musical drama directed by Otto Preminger
The film is set in a fishing village in 1912 South Carolina
Poitier plays Porgy and Dorothy Dandridge plays Bess
a woman dealing with a substance abuse problem
they must deal with the obstacles that come their way
and the disapproving residents of the village
but you won’t hear him sing; Poitier’s singing voice was dubbed by opera singer Robert McFerrin
The film received a total of four Academy Award nominations
Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.) The Porgy and Bess score beat out the score for Sleeping Beauty that year to take home the Oscar
Icon_Audio-Video_-PlayCreated with Sketch.Where to watchDirected by: Daniel Petrie
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" So begins the poem Harlem
written by the great American poet Langston Hughes
based on the landmark Lorraine Hansberry play
which got its title from the line in the Langston Hughes poem
is about a Black family dealing with inner conflict while striving to make it in 1950s Chicago in the face of racism
The film co-starred Claudia McNeil and Ruby Dee
this romantic drama starring Paul Newman and Poitier features Louis Armstrong and plenty of jazz music
The Duke Ellington score won the Oscar for Best Music
the two screen legends play expats living in Paris and working as musicians
played by Joanne Woodward and Diahann Carroll
the musicians must decide whether they want to stay in Paris or return to the U.S
Icon_Audio-Video_-PlayCreated with Sketch.Where to watchDirected by: Ralph Nelson
Poitier made history when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in Lilies of the Field in 1964; he triumphantly became the very first Black actor to win the Best Actor Oscar
the Civil Rights Movement was leading to sweeping changes across the United States
Poitier’s breaking of the color barrier was an immensely important step forward
he plays a traveling handyman who becomes the answer to the prayers of nuns who wish to build a chapel in the desert
Although his win was the film’s lone Oscar win
the drama did receive four other Oscar nominations
Icon_Audio-Video_-PlayCreated with Sketch.Where to watchDirected by: Guy Green
Poitier plays a kindhearted office worker who meets a blind woman (Elizabeth Hartman) at a park one day
he becomes determined to help her escape her abusive home life
it was the first time that a Black man kissed a white woman in a film
Shelley Winters won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for portraying the blind woman's racist mother
The film received a total of four other Academy Award nominations
including one for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Elizabeth Hartman
Icon_Audio-Video_-PlayCreated with Sketch.Where to watchDirected by: James Clavell
an out of work engineer who takes a job teaching a group of delinquent white students in the slums of London's East End
performed so unexpectedly well in theaters that Columbia Pictures did market research to find out why so many people had gone to see it; the answer was Poitier
Icon_Audio-Video_-PlayCreated with Sketch.Where to watchDirected by: Norman Jewison
Tibbs!" Poitier portrays Virgil Tibbs
confident Black Philadelphia police detective
who is mistakenly suspected of a murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town
The crime drama is a scathing condemnation of small-town racial bigotry
They say a picture is worth a thousand words
In one of the most memorable scenes in the film
slaps Virgil Tibbs across the face - Virgil Tibbs immediately slaps him right back across the face
It was the 'Slap Heard Round the World.' The depiction of a Black man slapping a white man in 1967 made history and sent shockwaves through audiences across the country
had never seen a Black man strike a white man on-screen
fully aware of the power that the scene would have
had the studio put it in his contract that Virgil Tibbs would slap Mr
was nominated for seven Oscars; it won five Oscars
Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (now called Best Adapted Screenplay)
who had previously been nominated for his performances in On the Waterfront and The Pawnbroker
received the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role
"You think of yourself as a colored man; I think of myself as a man," Poitier
explains to his father (Roy Glenn) why he feels free to marry the woman with whom he has fallen in love
regardless of the fact that society sees him as a Black man
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is a charming romantic comedy-drama about Matt and Christina Drayton
played by Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn
whose daughter (Katharine Houghton) informs them that she has gotten engaged to a Black man
The Draytons contemplate what life is going to be like for their daughter once she enters into an interracial marriage
Kramer wanted to present a positive view of interracial marriage when it was still illegal in over a third of the states
Playing Matt Drayton turned out to be Tracy’s final act as an accomplished performer; he died less than a month after filming was completed
The film was nominated for a whopping ten Academy Awards; it won the Oscar for Best Writing
Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (now called Best Original Screenplay)
and Hepburn won for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Hepburn finished her esteemed acting career having received a grand total of 12 Academy Award nominations
Her four Oscar wins in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category remain a record to this day
Icon_Audio-Video_-PlayCreated with Sketch.Where to watchDirected by: Sidney Poitier
Having established himself as a leading man
Poitier made his feature film directorial debut with Buck and the Preacher
he became one of the first Black directors to direct a major Hollywood feature film
His character is an ex-Civil War soldier who transports freed slaves out west
The on-screen revenge exacted by Black characters on white aggressors in the film represented a change in the times
The film co-stars Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee
This year marks the film’s 50th anniversary
Icon_Audio-Video_-PlayCreated with Sketch.Where to watchDirected by: Sidney Poitier
Stir Crazy is a comedy starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder
They play two unemployed friends from New York who go out west looking to turn their fortunes around
where they must hatch an elaborate breakout scheme
The comedy was a smash hit at the box office
It was the third highest grossing film of the year
after Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back and 9 to 5
Films directed by Black directors had been hits before
but this was the first time that a film directed by a Black director had gone on to gross over $100 million in theaters
which is roughly $340 million when adjusted for inflation
This is the story of Diahann Carroll and Sidney Poitier’s love affair.
List slidesA Groundbreaking ActressList slidesA Groundbreaking ActressAdvertisementBorn July 17
Diahann Carroll broke barriers for Black women on the stage and screen
Carroll was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the 1974 film Claudine. But 80s babies will remember her role as Dominique Deveraux in the nighttime soap “Dynasty,” a diva that could give any Real Housewife a run for their money.
Things were even more complicated for the actors, who both had children with their respective spouses. Poitier and Hardy had four daughters, while Carroll had one daughter with Kay.
List slides“One of the Brightest Women I Had Ever Known”List slides“One of the Brightest Women I Had Ever Known”AdvertisementIn a 1980 interview with PEOPLE
Poitier described his attraction to Carroll as instant
List slidesA Tale as Old as TimeList slidesA Tale as Old as TimeAdvertisementThings took a dramatic turn for the actors after Poitier made a high-takes proposition to Carroll in 1963
List slidesThe Best Made PlansList slidesThe Best Made PlansAdvertisementCarroll kept her end of the bargain and left Kay for a life with Poitier
But just as she and her daughter were preparing to move into the New York City apartment Poitier bought for them to share
List slidesOh, It Gets WorseList slidesOh
It Gets WorseAdvertisementIf ghosting her wasn’t bad enough
Carroll said Poitier had the nerve to lock her out of their would-be love nest and ask her to reimburse him for the place
List slidesIncurable GuiltList slidesIncurable GuiltAdvertisementAlthough Poitier wasn’t ready to leave his wife for Diahann Carroll
his affair would eventually lead to the end of his 15-year marriage to Juanita Hardy
Poitier says he was left with mounds of guilt
who were married until Poitier’s death in 2022
Shimkus talked about what made her fall for the Oscar winner – spoiler alert: it wasn’t just his looks
List slidesA Hopeless RomanticList slidesA Hopeless RomanticAdvertisementLooking back on her relationships
Carroll said she learned that she was a hopeless romantic
which doesn’t exactly make it easy to have long-term love
Event an exciting night of television and fashion for downtown LA arts community
From left: Moderator Spencer Williams; "Shōgun" costume designer Carlos Rosario
former curator of Japanese art at Los Angeles County Museum of Art Hollis Goodall; and Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) master artist-in-residence Hirokazu Kosaka speak onstage at the JACCC in a panel discussion
The Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning blockbuster FX series “Shōgun” doesn’t just have audiences in its thrall
it just became incredibly overwhelming to see how it was received by the audience,” said Emmy Award-winning costume designer Carlos Rosario before a packed crowd at a public event hosted by The Sidney Poitier New American Film School
at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday
“It might never happen again,” Rosario said
“I decided to embrace this adventure as much as possible.”
whose lush designs play an instrumental role in bringing 17th-century Japan to life in the sweeping historical drama
spoke in a moderated panel discussion following a screening of the series’ pilot episode
program manager of events and student engagement with the ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and co-host of “The Art of Costume” podcast
former curator of Japanese art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
“We’re so thrilled that we’re partnered with the JACCC, and so thrilled that ASU FIDM are partners with us in this,” said Peter Murrieta
deputy director of The Poitier Film School and the Emmy Award-winning writer known for series like Netflix’s "Mr
Iglesias" and Disney’s "Wizards of Waverly Place." Murrieta
along with The Poitier Film School’s Founding Director Cheryl Boone Isaacs
paying special thanks to FX Networks as well as James Casey Holland and Christian Cordella
“Shōgun” costume concept artists whose illustrations were on display in the lobby
who was born in France and is of Spanish descent
multinational effort “Shōgun” is and the exhaustive research process that went into bringing this historical era to life
what came to me right away is that I knew it was going to be a show about colors and fabric,” Rosario said
and there were so many different characters
I thought the color palette was going to bring harmony to the visuals.”
To help the audience follow the characters better
Rosario assigned different color palettes to each group
“I’ve been studying the costumes intensively over the past couple of weeks
Goodall provided deeper insight into the use of materials
fabrics and colors in Japanese fashion during this period
were introduced to Japanese fashion by way of India
while dramatic shades of red seen in the show would have been made with expensive dyes made from flowers and insects
but when they’re put together by somebody with exquisite taste,” Hollis said
who is also an ordained Shingon Buddhist priest and a master of the art of Japanese archery
called attention to Rosario’s use of white in costuming
white is the color of “transition” — appropriate in both marriage and seppukuA form of taking one's own life that was considered honorable among the feudal Japanese samurai class.
“Kimono comes from the word ‘ki,’ the center of your body,” Kosaka said
Ki is the Japanese word for spirit or energy
“It’s very important that kimono and samurai warriors are very centered in the stomach
Seppuku came from that notion of the ki.” Wearing certain garb centers one spiritually
a concept Kosaka saw reflected in the show’s costuming
When asked for his advice to Herberger’s film and fashion students in the audience
Rosario emphasized how crucial it is to build a strong educational foundation — and
how crucial it is to absorb as much as you can about the world and how to be a person in it
“Being a costume designer is not about the clothing aspect
it’s the distance between the heart of the character and the outer envelope,” Rosario said
about the human condition and the different layers of human beings ..
the more you will be able to understand your characters.”
And it’s clear Rosario understands his characters
Rosario added another laurel to his crown: He was named the winner of the award for Excellence in Period Television at the 2025 Costume Designers Guild Awards
He will graduate from Arizona State University in May with a Doctor of Musical Arts in wind band conducting and a graduate…
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John Livesey
In May 1968, Sidney Poitier received an unexpected guest. The actor was in the midst of filming a new romantic comedy when he was told that the Black American author James Baldwin would be visiting him on set. Baldwin had been commissioned by LOOK magazine to write a profile of Poitier; a rare photograph shows the pair chatting in-between takes
They are seated precariously amongst the studio-props and camera equipment
The article this encounter produced offers a complex portrait of Poitier
describing a man torn between his personal values and professional obligations
Baldwin recalls meeting the actor for the first time in an airport: “He didn’t know me but I admired him very much
and I told him so.” Their paths would continue to cross throughout their lives and
Baldwin observed both Poitier’s meteoric rise and the backlash it precipitated
embodying the fantasies of white audiences
recognising an individual caught “in the terrifying position of being part of a system that you know you have to change.” As he describes
Throughout January the BFI have also been exploring Poitier’s fraught legacy with a special programme of his films
Its title “Sidney Poitier: His Own Person” is taken from Baldwin’s profile
the season marks a natural progression from the BFI’s land-mark 2016 retrospective ‘Black Star’
which tracked the history of the Black movie star
Poitier was without doubt the first “Black Star” and his filmography rightfully demands its own attention: an important part of the history of race on-screen
at the end of a decade marked by the flourishing of Black creativity in cities across America
He was raised in the Bahamas but moved to Miami when he was fifteen to live with his brother
A year later – professionally dissatisfied
and scared of the racism that defined the Jim Crow South – he paid $11 for a bus fare to New York City
He settled in Harlem and it was here that he auditioned for the American Negro Theatre
This was something Poitier had never expected: he was an actor now
Poitier’s big break came during an understudy performance for Harry Belafonte
Poitier was scouted by a Hollywood producer and from there followed a slew of roles
His star was in rapid ascendancy and by 1958
Poitier had become the first Black male actor to be nominated for an Academy Award
The film for which Poitier was nominated was Stanley Kramer’s The Defiant Ones
The movie follows the friendship of two men who escape the chain-gang but remain cuffed together
It is a clumsy and sentimental metaphor for American race relations
and ends with Poitier’s character jumping from a train which would take him across state-lines
surrendering himself to be re-incarcerated – all for the sake of his newfound friend
The Defiant Ones is an important film for understanding the trajectory of Poitier’s career
In an attempt to engage with the Civil Rights Movement – and entice a new audience of racially-concerned white liberals – Hollywood Studios made a number of similar “race flicks” throughout the 1960s
These films provide the source-code for modern white-saviour narratives such as The Blind Side
They depict racism as an easily surmountable problem
particularly with the help of well-meaning Whites
even prejudiced Whites are shown capable of redemption
Black characters function as ambassadors of their race
primed to offer their peers an education on race
Poitier was the poster-boy for this kind of role
and sexless Black Man that white America wanted most
Poitier had become the most prolific and celebrated Black actor in the English-speaking world
In 1967 – a banner year for the actor – he released his two most famous films
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and In The Heat of the Night
In the first he portrays a celebrated Black doctor who meets the parents of his White fiancé
a Black detective who becomes embroiled in a murder case in a small town in Mississippi
In one of the film’s most memorable scenes
Poitier slaps the actor Larry Gates around the face
This display of self-defence from a Black man was a groundbreaking moment for depictions of race onscreen and was dubbed “the slap heard around the world”
Whilst these films mark the highpoint of Poitier’s career
the end of the 1960s had also ushered in a new wave of critics
The assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr
and Malcolm X coincided with the rise of Black nationalism
A new and more radical race politics was in vogue and
younger black audiences viewed Poitier as a bland conservative committed to outdated principles of integration
This critique was summarised by a now-infamous article in the New York Times
entitled “Why Does White America Love Sidney Poitier So?” The author
dismisses Poitier’s films as “merely contrivances
completely lacking in artistic merit’ and accuses the actor of playing ‘essentially the same role
Poitier is simply “the Negro movie star that all white America loves”
the actor recalls the article as “the most devastating and unfair piece of journalism I had ever seen”
The Virgil Tibbs character was resurrected for two further films that made a nod to Blaxploitation films
but neither achieved the same level of success as the original
Nor was there much critical or commercial love for The Lost Man
a timid attempt to capture the imagination of Black radicals
in which Poitier stars as a young revolutionary
Poitier carved out space for himself as a director
but by the turn of the century he had mostly retired from Hollywood
The Poitier brand never regained the appeal it commanded throughout the 1960s
He notes that Poitier’s Fiancé in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner claims that all their biracial children will “be president of the United States and they’ll all have colorful administrations.” In retrospect
it is Baldwin who is best at squaring the significance of Poitier’s success with the problematic characters he portrayed
he places emphasis on the actor’s ability to “escape the framework” of the films in which he features
“I didn’t think Blackboard Jungle was much of a movie but I thought Sidney was beautiful
vivid and truthful in it…Nor was I overwhelmed by Cry
of the young priest was a moving miracle of indignation.”
to receive the humanity of Poitier’s performances without accepting the ideology they are in service to
The author is in no doubt about the limitations of Hollywood
But he still wonders whether Poitier’s talent might allow a white viewer – finally – to consider “the reality
the simple human fact of black people.” Baldwin knew that Poitier was forced to wear many faces but
the actor spoke for and represented the feeling of many dissatisfied with Hollywood and America: “a moving miracle of indignation”
LWLies 107: The Sinners issue – Out now!
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The empty showboat of cinematic one-shots
Inside the academic conference taking Terrifier back to school
By Mathew Ko
A century after the birth of James Baldwin
his words continue to echo across filmmaking culture
By Grace Barber-Plentie
Raoul Peck’s use of ‘The Blacker the Berry’ in his civil rights documentary I Am Not Your Negro is truly inspired
By Charles Bramesco
They’re part of Park Circus and MGM’s upcoming Poitier tribute
Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them
we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience
horror novelist Brian McAuley kicks off series with 'The Exorcist'
Clinical Assistant Professor Brian McAuley addresses the audience following a screening of "Talk to Me." Photo by Taylor Blackmore
Everyone knows movies are better on the big screen
The Sidney Poitier New American Film School is proving it with a new faculty-curated screening series
that brings classics new and old to the state-of-the-art theater at ASU’s Media and Immersive Experience (MIX) Center in downtown Mesa
it's a communal experience,” said Brian McAuley
clinical assistant professor in The Poitier Film School
“It's increasingly invaluable to experience films the way they were intended: on a big screen with booming speakers and a lively audience.”
whose new Christmas-themed horror book “Candy Cain Kills Again: The Second Slaying” comes out Nov
kicked off the screening series with "Possession at the MIX," presenting a pair of thematically linked horror films about possession: the iconic 1973 film “The Exorcist,” and the 2022 Australian horror film “Talk to Me,” about a group of young friends who play a party game with an embalmed hand that unleashes a terrifying supernatural force
The Poitier Film School screening series continues in November with John Carpenter’s classic 1982 chiller “The Thing” on Monday, Nov. 4; and Jordan Peele’s 2022 sci-fi/horror epic “Nope” on Nov. 19
All screenings are free and open to the public
we're intentionally pairing a classic genre film with a modern masterpiece
connected by a common theme,” McAuley said
“We're also holding space after the films for conversations about the artistry and humanity that make these stories endure across generations
we explored how the religious horror of ‘The Exorcist’ resonates today compared to the TikTok terrors of ‘Talk to Me.’"
Many of the MIX Center theater’s 261 seats at the Oct
22 screening of “Talk to Me” were occupied by Poitier Film School students studying the art and craft of film
who stayed seated after the screening to engage in a post-film discussion led by McAuley
emphasized the importance of well-drawn characters to secure the audience’s emotional investment
“What makes the story work is that it’s really rooted in characters,” he said of “Talk to Me” in the post-screening discussion
calling it a “character-driven drama that happens to have horror mixed in.”
“When a horror movie can make you feel so many emotions other than fear
it makes the whole story so much better,” responded one film student
a sonic artist and Poitier Film School professor of sound
was also in attendance for the screening and contributed his expertise to the discussion
calling attention to how the mood and emotional tone of the film was enhanced by the score and sound design.
“The variation of volume and intensity is astounding,” Meirelles said
The film’s expert sound design was especially evident in the MIX Center’s theater
“Movies were made to be enjoyed on the big screen
and we’ve got one of the best big screens in Arizona at the MIX Center,” said Poitier Film School Founding Director Cheryl Boone Isaacs
“Our expert film faculty are curating a thrilling series
screenings classics and new releases that both inform and entertain
Our students will learn not just film history
but how films remain in conversation with one another across the decades.”
One audience member at the screening of “Talk to Me” expanded her cinematic horizons in a big way.
“This is my first horror film that I’ve ever seen
because I don’t like horror,” said Jennifer Hankerson
The play centers on the trailblazing actor-activist on the precipice of signing his career-defining Hollywood contract
Ryan Calais Cameron's Retrograde, directed by Amit Sharma
began performances at London's Apollo Theatre March 8
Retrograde centers on trailblazing actor-activist Sidney Poitier on the precipice of signing his career-defining Hollywood contract
As he grapples with the implications of signing his life away
his principles come to the fore as he weighs the pros and cons of entering into the system
the West End production also features Stanley Townsend (Kaos
The Normal Heart) and Oliver Johnstone (Antigone
Produced by Oscar, Olivier, and Tony nominated actor Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) and Nica Burns
in association with Chuchu Nwagu Productions
the prodution is a West End transfer of Kiln Theatre’s original production
“Sidney Poitier was an icon and his career one that inspired myself and many others
Not only for his tremendous craft as an actor but also as a Civil Rights icon
leading the way towards a more diverse and inclusive industry
Ryan Calais Cameron’s writing is phenomenal
capturing this pivotal moment in Sidney’s life and his integrity
It’s an honor to be producing the West End premiere of Retrograde alongside Nica Burns and to offer audiences an insight into the remarkable man and a truly gripping evening at the theatre.”
Retrograde follows Cameron’s smash West End hit For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy
The creative team will include Sharma, set and costume designer Frankie Bradshaw, lighting designer Amy Mae
Visit NimaxTheatres.com.
Oliver Johnstone and Stanley Townsend in Retrograde
Stanley Townsend and Ivanno Jeremiah in Retrograde
Stanley Townsend and Oliver Johnstone in Retrograde
Stanley Townsend, Ivanno Jeremiah, and Oliver Johnstone in Retrograde
Gail Kriegel's new play follows a family affected by mental illness.
The Tony-winning Best Musical continues at the Walter Kerr Theatre.
Noah Himmelstein will direct Matthew Puckett's original musical.
Neumann is the Tony nominated choreographer behind Hadestown and Swept Away.
Finalists included Cole Escola's Oh, Mary! and Itamar Moses's The Ally.
The world premiere opera, based on a play by Gerber, is the second opera by Nottage and Gordon.
In the Sondheim revue, one Tony winner is playing the trumpet while the other is channeling Madame Rose.
The George Abbott, Douglas Wallop, Jerry Ross, and Richard Adler musical opened May 5, 1955.
Due to the expansive nature of Off-Broadway, this list is not comprehensive.
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French interior minister Bruno Retailleau says the attack shows that drug-related violence in France has reached a ‘tipping point’
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A 15-year-old boy has been left in critical condition after being shot in the head during a drive-by attack allegedly linked to drug trafficking in western France
with hundreds of people caught in a subsequent late-night brawl
The teenager was reportedly among five people injured in the attack in the city of Poitiers
Interior minister Bruno Retailleau told BFMTV/RMC radio on Friday that the shooting began at 10.45pm local time on Thursday in front of a restaurant before rapidly escalating into a mass fight
“What started as a shooting at a restaurant ended up in a fight between rival gangs that involved several hundred people,” Mr Retailleau said
BFMTV said that people in a car reportedly opened fire on a bar-restaurant on the Place Coimbra
When police found the victims near the bar, which was reportedly riddled with up to a dozen bullet holes, they were attacked by youths during a battle between rival gangs involving hundreds of people, BFMTV added.
Mr Retailleau described the episode of violence as the “tipping point” in France. The incident comes less than a week after a five-year-old was left in critical condition after being shot last Saturday in Rennes, northwest France.
The child was hit by gunfire while in a car with his father in the city’s Maurepas neighbourhood, an area identified by intelligence services as one of the city’s major drug dealing areas.
“Trafficking gangs today have no limits,” Mr Retailleau said. “These shootouts are not in Latin America, they are in Rennes, in Poitiers, in once-tranquil western France.”
Referencing drug cartel violence in Mexico, the minister added: “We have a choice between general mobilisation or the Mexicanisation of the country.”
Reports about the ensuing brawl in Poitiers are conflicting, but police sources told France Info that up to 600 people may have been involved, though not at the same time.
They said the fight happened in several stages that rarely involved more than 100 individuals taking part at any one time.
The mayor of Poitiers, Leonore Moncond’huy, described the incident as a “new episode of unacceptable violence”.
“The youth of those involved is particularly worrying,” she added in a statement on X (Twitter).
“I call for everyone’s responsibility to maintain calm in the city, and welcome the increased presence of security forces.”
The office of the Vienne district, of which Poitiers is the capital, wrote that police reinforcements have been deployed in the city.
Poitiers (FRANCE) - Top-seeded Germany will be out to pick up their first stop win of the season at the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series Poitiers Stop 2024 on June 25 - 26
With the Paris Olympics just around the corner
Germany will be looking to build momentum in Poitiers
Taking to court with their core of Svenja Brunckhorst
Marie Reichert and Luana Rodefeld led by former World Number One Sonja Greinacher
The team has showcased their ability not only to shoot lights out from beyond the arc
They’ve found rhythm in their setup and have also come up clutch in numerous situations
none bigger than clutching an Olympic ticket in the clutch
SVENJA ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 😱Take another look at the Maurice Lacroix buzzer beater that sent Germany to the Olympic Games #3x3OQT pic.twitter.com/BWz8YSglUt
Poitiers will offer a strong test for the side as they might just end up butting heads with another Olympic side in Spain
Though without Sandra Ygueravide and Vega Gimeno this time
the Spaniards have no shortage of high-level talent
The duo of Gracia Alonso and Juana Camilion have proven themselves to be huge on offense while playing a pivotal role in running a free flowing style
Gala Mestres and Cecilia Muhate will also join the squad
bringing in their experience and versatility to the side
The Germans will be in Pool A where they’ll take on Gyor
Spain will take on steep competition in the Netherlands
Netherlands have been strong as they come in the competition so far
They last competed in Orleans where they felt short to Canada in the Quarter-Final
They’ll hope to turn their fortunes around in Poitiers
Fielding a similar side as their last contest in Janis Ndiba
Julia Jurritsma with the addition of Zoe Slagter
they’ll have no shortage of an inside presence along with clutch shot makers
Driessen has the ability to take control of games and create shots from anywhere on the court
Slagter dominates in the paint while Ndiba is a consistent shooter
Jurritsma offers much needed stability to her side
A big test awaits for the Dutch in Poitiers as they’ll hope to add a stop win to their accolades this season
Another side capable of being incisive on offense is the Hungarian side Gyor
They possess youth as well as experience with Orsolya Toth and Dorina Szirony while also having Fanni Szabo and Virag Kiss
A team with hustle and ability to make consistent buckets puts them in good stead to go far in the tournament
The two-day frenzy is on June 25-26 and you can follow it live on the FIBA 3x3 YouTube channel
Artwork made by a two-year-old is being featured in a unique gallery exhibition in Poitiers (Vienne)
Ismaël Baldassare-Jourdan cannot yet read or write but already his work is displayed in a gallery as part of a solo art show titled La pureté du geste (The purity of the movement)
The exhibition opened last Saturday (February 8) at the Espace Baldassare
where around 40 members of the public came to preview the collection of bright
Read also: I moved to France and became a botanical artist
Art has always been like a “game” for Ismaël
whose creative tendencies are nurtured by his artist parents
“The main thing is that he is having fun and experimenting,” Manuel told The Connexion
“When he comes home from nursery he is always keen to get painting.”
Ismaël began painting and drawing on pieces of paper but soon expressed a desire to graduate onto larger-scale works.
His parents ended up hanging a sheet of canvas material on the wall
creating a “sort of atelier” in his playspace
complete with a stock of gouache paints and colouring pencils
I just pass him his paints and his colours when he asks,” said Manuel
Read also: French villagers had no idea their neighbour was an acclaimed American artist
Espace Baldassare is located in Poitiers’ town centre and owned by Ismaël’s father
He decided to put on the exhibition as a way of going back to the basics of creative expression
“Today we see a bit of anything and everything [in the art world]… We don’t know how to define art anymore
There is movement… I find it very interesting
but because I see things that speak to me on a deeper level,” explained Manuel.
Read also: I now sell my art at local French markets
Members of the public have also been enjoying Ismaël’s exhibition
with the gallery receiving lots of positive feedback and even offers to purchase some of the canvases.
La pureté du geste runs until February 19.
It can be seen for free at the Espace Baldassare (7 rue du Palais
Fridays and Saturdays from 15:30 to 19:00.
Visits can also be organised upon request during the rest of the week
Impressionist masterpieces in Aix-en-Provence
Behind the curtain: L’Intime Expo takes a fascinating look at people's private lives
Frances Butler exhibited in some of the world’s leading museums
including the Victoria & Albert and British Museum in London
"I didn't know if it was an insult or a compliment," Murphy said of Poitier's comment
Film student Byron Roberson is ready to take on Hollywood
Poitier Film School student Byron Roberson celebrates his BFA in Film and Media Production
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2024 graduates
Byron Roberson can’t wait to get to work on set
native feels prepared to take on thanks to the real-world industry experience he got earning his BFA in film and media production at The Sidney Poitier New American Film School
Through his participation in The Poitier Film School’s Semester in LA (SiLA) study abroad program
Roberson landed an internship at Rain Management Group
an LA-based media company that represents clients to help build careers in film
“It’s been really rewarding to see and do things at a professional level and be directly exposed to industry standards and development practices,” Roberson said
“It’s definitely made me more conscious of representation for myself and made me think of my own roadmap to getting it.”
Roberson also interned for CineStory’s writer’s retreat
“The experience allowed me to meet and interact with such a variety of writers and creatives in a really amazing
We caught up with Roberson to ask him about his time studying film in LA and how ASU has prepared him to pursue his cinematic dreams
Question: Why did you choose ASU and The Poitier Film School?Answer: It’s one of those things that just felt right every step of the way
my development as a creative very naturally aligned with the growth of the program
And to study under Sidney Poitier’s name means the world
Q: What made you want to pursue a film degree
What was your “aha” moment?A: Media and art shaped me throughout my childhood
and films dictated what I wanted to be at any point growing up
Performing was something I was always familiar with
When it came to deciding what to study in college
I very naturally zeroed in on film as my focus and never looked back
Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective
A: Surround yourself with the right people
but it has been amazing finding collaborators that I have loved working with and really hope to again in the future
and finding them has easily been one of the best parts of my time at ASU
Q: Is there a particular professor who really made an impact on you?A: There are several, but Assistant Professor Reina Higashitani hands down has had the biggest impact on me as a creative
and she really pushed me to think about that role in its entirety
It was also amazing to have a professor to share my taste with and to have open dialogue about a plethora of films
Q: What are your plans for after graduation?A: Currently
I’m in a place where I really want to be on set more than anything
and Chicago has a rapidly growing market and a really strong art community that I identify with and would love to embrace post-graduation
Chantel Woodard is graduating with a master’s degree in forensic science from Arizona State University’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences and has been honored with the prestigious…
College of Health Solutions Outstanding Graduate Student Emily Dow has grown into a highly accomplished doctoral student
completing her PhD in exercise and nutritional sciences in just three…
Medical studies graduate Mia Tarditi aims to support others across a variety of contexts
from the club she established as a student, Pre-Health on Poly
Poitier did a one-year stint at Florida State College at Jacksonville in 2019
before serving as the head coach at Savannah State from 2016-2018; Bluefield State College (2013-2016) and Winston-Salem State (2010-2012)
With over 23 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level
one of the most appealing factors about Poitier was that he is no stranger to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference
Poitier's record of accomplishments emphasized on rebuilding programs as he started his head-coaching career with St
posting a 113-34 record in five seasons at the helm
Poitier recorded 20-plus wins and a conference championship in each season
a conference title and CIAA Coach of the Year in 2000
including a perfect 21-0 conference record and CIAA Championship
first round appearance in the NCAA Regionals in 2001
Poitier guided the Lady Falcons to a 29-3 overall record and 21-0 mark in CIAA action to go along with the program's third-straight CIAA title while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Regionals in 2002
Augustine's posted a 25-5 overall record extending its win-streak to 63-straight wins over CIAA opponents (21-0)
a CIAA championship and the 2003 CIAA Coach of the Year award
he compiled a 115-35 overall record and a 99-8 record
He is a three-time CIAA Coach of the Year and is still the only CIAA coach to ever win an NCAA Tournament First Round match
Bahamas native coached the Bahamas National Women's Team for nine years from 1992-99 and led the team to two gold medals and three silver medals at the Regional Caribbean Volleyball Championships and was the assistant coach from 1989-92
Poitier played on the Bahamas Men's National Team as a setter for 13 years from 1979-92 and won the bronze medal at Commonwealth Volleyball Championship in London in 1981
Poitier is a 2003 graduate of Saint Augustine's College with a degree in Criminal Justice
He is married and the father of three children
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‘I didn’t know if it was an insult or a compliment,’ actor said on confusing career advice
Eddie Murphy has shared the advice Sidney Poitier gave him after he was approached to star in the 1992 film Malcolm X
who shot to fame on Saturday Night Live before establishing himself as a lead man with starring roles in The Golden Child and Harlem Nights
In the new documentary Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood
Murphy recalled the confusing career advice from the legendary In the Heat of the Night star
“They were talking about doing Malcolm X [and] Norman Jewison (who directed Fiddler on the Roof and Moonstruck) was putting it together,” he recalled
“They were gonna use The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Hayley and they approached me about playing Alex Haley.”
Murphy continued: “Around the same time, I bumped into Sidney Poitier at something and I asked him, ‘Yeah, I’m thinking about playing Alex Hayley.’ Poitier said, ‘You are not Denzel, and you are not Morgan. You are a breath of fresh air, and don’t f*** with that,’” the actor recalled, per Entertainment Weekly
“I didn’t know if it was an insult or a compliment,” Murphy admitted
Freeman and Washington were all finding their way as Hollywood leading men at the same time
While Washington was eventually cast in Malcolm X
Murphy went on to star in a series of much-loved comedies
Washington was nominated for Best Actor at the 1993 Oscars for his role as the civil rights activist in the film ultimately directed by Spike Lee
which did not include Hayley’s character despite being based on his book
When reflecting on why Poitier saw him as a different type of actor to his peers
and my audience was the mainstream – all of everywhere
and they had never had that with a young Black person
Everything broke really big and really fast.”
Murphy said singer James Brown also offered him a career tip: “He told me I should stop cursing,” he revealed
‘You wanna be in this business for a long time
Brown also recommended that if Murphy had made a million dollars he bury his money in the woods so the government couldn’t take it from him
‘But can’t the government take your land?’ and he said
‘But they won’t know where the money is,” Murphy claimed
He added: “That’s the kind of advice I used to get
Last year, Murphy reflected on how “racist” jokes were made at his expense on Saturday Night Livein the Nineties
despite him being “the biggest thing that ever came off that show”
One such joke occurred when comedian David Spade, as part of his “Hollywood Minute” sketch, showed a photo of Murphy, stating: “Look children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish.”
Murphy said of the comment: “It was like: ‘Yo, it’s in-house! I’m one of the family, and you’re f***ing with me like that?’ It hurt my feelings like that.”
The actor said the joke “was personal”, adding: “It was like, ‘Yo, how could you do that?’ My career? Really? A joke about my career? So I thought that was a cheap shot. And it was kind of, I thought – I felt it was racist.”
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
"I don’t know if it was an insult or a compliment," Murphy says in the new Apple TV+ documentary 'Number One on the Call Sheet'
Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
and of course Paris and the surrounding region are no exception
Each year's event offers a host of promising discoveries
A great opportunity to rediscover the region's heritage
the next edition is scheduled for Saturday May 17
In Étampes, in the département of Essonne (91), the Diane-de-Poitiers library
located in the heart of a Renaissance mansion of the same name
is taking part in the Nuit des Musées dance
Named in honor of Henri II's famous favorite
this place steeped in history is offering a program specially imagined for the 21st edition of Nuit des Musées 2025
So what does the Diane-de-Poitiers Intercommunal Library have in store for us
Here's what's in store for us on this exceptional night
Presentation of the exhibition "Louise Abbéma
des fleurs pour une peintre" / By the Musée intercommunal d'EtampesSaturday
2025 - 11:00 ⤏ 12:00"Louise Abbéma (1853-1927)
des fleurs pour une peintre" is a mini-accrochage from the collections of the Musée intercommunal d'Etampes
invited between the books of the Bibliothèque Diane-de-Poitiers
Louise Abbéma owes her artistic renown to the flowers she sublimated on canvas
Louise Abbéma was also an eminent member of the Société Nationale d'Horticulture de France
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the ERASMUS coordinator of the Department of Psychology of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena
asked me: ‘The University of Poitiers has selected you for a place in the ERASMUS+ programme
Not only could I fulfil my dream of living and studying in France
but it was also the beginning of one of the biggest adventures of my life
My name is Sarenka Allmacher and I spent the third year of my undergraduate programme in Psychology (the academic year 2017/2018) as an Erasmus+ student at the University of Poitiers in western France
It was a very enriching experience and I can recommend everyone a stay abroad with ERASMUS
I was excited when I boarded the train to France and could feel my heart beating
the feeling quickly dissipated when I arrived in Poitiers where I was warmly welcomed and got the chance to get to know another culture
inspiring people and form lasting bonds of friendship
I also took the time to travel through France and experience the many facets of the country
I became familiar with the French university system and a different system of learning and teaching while being able to deepen my knowledge in Psychology in various fields
I would encourage everyone to take this step and embark on an adventure abroad
flatshares are a lot less common than in Germany
and yet a smaller part shares a flat with friends or a partner
You may be allocated a room in a student residence by the University
or you can look for a room yourself—the International Office will provide you with a list of contact details of potential lessors
but the organizational effort is much higher than when being allocated a room
I lived together with an Italian student at an elderly couple’s place
Not only were they very warm-hearted and helpful
but also very interested in maintaining a cultural exchange
I lived in the student residence Roche d’Argent
where I met many friendly students—all in all both were positive experiences
Poitiers is a city rich in culture and history
Its city centre is located on a rocky plateau surrounded by more city quarters at its foot
If you want to cover greater distances in the city
the bus is a good option; outside the city
Thanks to its location and good access to transport
The first weeks were very exciting as there were many things to be organized and as I was getting used to speak French and meet many new people
If you want your stay abroad to get off to a good start and connect with others
here are a few tips: Schedule an appointment with Mme Delb at the International Office and with the coordinator of your faculty within the first days of your arrival
this is the very helpful and friendly Mme Tessier.) The responsible coordinator helped me with all kinds of questions
the support by the ESN university group was really good
They were organizing all kinds of events for ERASMUS students
so that you meet other international students very quickly
The University has one of the biggest campuses in France
Although some of the facilities are located in the city centre
I quickly became familiar with everyday student life
What was unusual to me in the beginning was that nearly everyone used their laptops during the lecture
as the lecturers rarely provided presentations
While the lectures were delivered in a chalk-and-talk manner
the seminars were more application-oriented
Using practical examples and various exercises
the lecturers vividly introduced us to the contents
which made for an enjoyable learning experience
I participated in a French language course in both semesters
Together with different sports courses and the psychological subjects
students may select up to three sports courses from a wide range of options
sports-related short trips called ‘stages’ are organized
I chose climbing and HipHop dancing; and I learned catamaran sailing and surfing during three different stages
Those interested in cultural aspects can choose from different options in Poitiers
there are the beautiful the English tearoom Jasmin Citronelle and a range of cool and cosy cafés
which is very popular among students because of the many cool events that take place there—French courses
The Taverne de Greek where you can play Playstation
Xbox or computer games for free was another place I liked very much
I loved to meet my friends in the Bibliocafé for a cup of coffee and to play cards or Wizard
There are not many discos in Poitiers (you will get to know Wallaby
but instead many cool bars which you can find at the Place du Notre Dame and in its side streets
a futuristic theme park with 4D attractions
which is why a guided tour leading you to the beautiful town hall
the church Notre-Dame-la-Grande and the cathedral St
I often spent my free time with my friends in one of the many parks such as the Parc de Blossac
where we once rented a bungalow for the weekend—highly recommended
Due to its central location within the country: A train to Paris takes roughly 1 ½ hours
and you can reach Nantes in the North and Bordeaux in the South in approximately 2 to 3 hours
beach and an enchanting flair is also worth a visit
You can reach other cities easily by train; apart from that
BlaBla car or a shared ride are good alternatives
I’d recommend you hostels or especially Airbnb—the more people the cheaper and funnier it will get
one night I stayed with two other people on a boat in the port of La Rochelle
a stay in Paris and a trip to the eastern part of France with my family
I particularly cherish the memories of road trips with my friends along the northwestern and southern coast of France
Although there were many smaller and greater problems to be solved throughout the year
I grew in experience and always had support
warm-hearted and helpful so that Poitiers really became home
It was an enriching year full of many new impressions
during which I learned and experienced many new things
I can only encourage everyone to participate in the ERSAMUS programme
I will gladly help you if you have any questions
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Five teenagers were hit by gunfire in Poitiers on Thursday evening
believed to be involved in drug trafficking
By Antoine Albertini, Arthur Carpentier and Jérôme Lefilliâtre (Poitiers
In the Place de Coimbra in the working-class district of Couronneries in Poitiers
Some of them had been in the same place the previous evening
when a man fired a number of shots just a few steps away from them
provoking high tensions that led the French interior minister to wrongly claim there had been a brawl involving "several hundred people." One of the boys
pointed to the back of his skull in response
One of the bullets from the semi-automatic weapon used by the gunman hit him in the head
he was later declared dead on Saturday morning
the teenagers in the group break out of their silence for a moment to clarify that Anis had "nothing to do" with any drug trafficking
they spoke without going into any details about the possibility of a "quarrel," an "argument." Then they disappeared
three men drove into the neighborhood and parked at the rear of Place de Coimbra
a large parking lot and popular gathering place in Les Couronneries
Facing a passageway in the arcade-like shopping arcade
one of them jumped out and opened fire in the direction of the terrace of a kebab restaurant
some of whom are known to the authorities to be involved in drug trafficking
who was officially still "being identified" on Friday afternoon and actively sought
"had only been present in Poitiers for a few weeks." He was "allegedly involved in the sale of narcotics in the Couronneries area in the preceding days." During a search of what may have been his home
parts of a dismantled weapon and several rounds of ammunition were found
"It's a guy who wanted to set up his business in Couronneries
but who was humiliated a few days ago by local residents and wanted revenge
It's a story of territories," said a source close to the case
You have 62.43% of this article left to read
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We chat to the team behind the new play heading to the Apollo Theatre
For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy
made him one of the most sought-after young writing talents in London
His latest work to head to the West End is something very different – a glimpse into the life and work of Sidney Poitier
as the young actor contemplates a decision that could change his career
but Cameron found plenty to relate to in Poitier
“The more I learnt about Sydney and what he had been through
the more I could see that there were a lot of parallels to me
15 years before he was even where he got to in this play,” says Cameron
“It was more about the certain themes I wanted to talk about that I felt were really relevant to what we were going through right here
I felt that if I could really hone in on those kind of things
then this play would feel like it’s mine
and like it’s giving voice to the things that I care about.”
Retrograde follows three characters: Sidney
Sidney is given a choice – compromise his principles and sign a career-changing contract
the fact that it’s 90 minutes straight through
is an interesting challenge,” says Oliver Johnstone
but I really nail it in scene three.” You have to quite delicately chart this character arc
Retrograde presents other challenges for its cast
namely for lead actor Ivanno Jeremiah in creating a version of Sidney Poitier that feels separate from the monolith
“He was pretty hard to find,” says Jeremiah
That’s where you got the sort of burps and farts
and it really helped me key into the person
some of his struggles: being in and out of work
is loosely based on a real guy from Sidney’s life,” says Johnstone
“There are certain aspects of the story where things have been bent a little bit in order to suit the narrative structure of the play
I’ve taken bits from the real Robert Alan Arthur’s life
and I’ve kind of fused it with my own version of who I think Bobby is
It’s nice – I can go to a biography of someone and cherry pick things that might be handy
I think actually he’d be like this.” That’s been satisfying.”
the biggest challenge has been in “getting behind a character that I don’t share beliefs with.”
But then I’m getting in behind a set of values that are really uncomfortable.”
“There’re some beliefs held around that time in the 50s that are explored in this play that are tough to reckon with,” adds Johnstone
Director Amit Sharma was immediately excited by the material
“I got to the end and… even remembering it
I emailed the artistic director at the time and I just said
Is there a director attached?’ hoping that there wasn’t.”
What struck Sharma the most was Retrograde’s ability to speak to the current culture
“It’s a play that’s set in the period of time that it’s set in
but what really came across to me is how relevant it was today
and how much it spoke to the battles and the fires raging literally right now… That’s testament to Ryan and his writing
but it’s also testament to having an icon like Sidney who did the work that he wanted to do because he couldn’t do anything else that made him feel uncomfortable
“Working with Amit has been amazing,” says Johnstone
and it creates an incredibly playful atmosphere in the room
That’s really tickled us and lightened us
having that lightness and playfulness has been a joy.”
“I think that’s what helps us not only explore the work and feel brave enough to step into this kind of material
“Is this cool?”” adds Jeremiah
Poitier is remembered for his extraordinary body of work
The first Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor
he spent a great deal of the early portion of his career as the only African American voice in many important rooms
The play approaches his story with humour and levity
representation and the cost of progress are never far away
it’s something that Sharma believes should be considered as secondary to the story
“I’ve been telling these type of stories for many
“Stories that deal with really complex issues – I’ve done them for a really
The battle is with those people who have more power
who decide whether something goes into production or not
It’s about getting them over the line
and it felt like a perfect play to go into the West End with
to tell this story to a much wider audience
because of the way it’s been written
but also who it’s been written about
many stories from our communities that don’t get told because [there’s a worry that audiences will ask themselves] if it’s going to be relevant to them
“How do you describe Sidney and where he came from
the transformational nature of his story?” he asks
the fact that we’re here in the UK telling a story about him is testament to the universality of fighting
and of trying to actually change the world.”
Retrograde opens at the Apollo Theatre on 8 March – find your tickets here
Maddy Howell
Maxine Sibihwana
Caitlin Devlin
Home » Theatre » How the cast and creators of Retrograde brought Sidney Poitier’s story to the stage
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Next raceMay 8
Arnaud Démare wins in Poitiers!Race reportAug 23
Arnaud Démare won the 4th and final stage of the Tour Poitou-Charentes
contested between Fontaine-le-Comté and Poitiers
A victory that gives him a 96th career success
simply because this week in Poitou-Charentes we have experienced many emotions
We were able to find the words to help the riders
comfort them and give them back their confidence by reminding them that we had the ability to win here and that we would end this week of racing with a victory
They were able to react and that is a satisfaction
Seeing Arnaud raise his arms is also a moment that we all savor
I know what he has been through and where he comes from so I am really happy for him and for the ARKEA - B&B HOTELS team
I have no doubt that he will reach the 100 mark with our team
He will not end his career without crossing this barrier
He is a champion and a champion never dies
Cristiàn Rodriguez 11th overall
The Vuelta Femenina, a special jersey
Cristián Rodríguez 6th in the queen stage
Clémence Latimier joins the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team
Hilary of PoitiersDoctor of the Divinity of ChristLawrence OP CC
+ Hilary was born into a noble family in Poitiers
Although he was raised as a pagan his philosophical inquiries and study of Sacred Scripture led him to the Christian Faith
Hilary spent considerable time and energy combatting the Arian heresy
While a very mild-mannered and agreeable person
he did not hesitate to use severe language in proving the Emperor Constantius for his support of Arianism
+ The outraged emperor exiled Hilary as punishment for his criticism
Hilary spent those years in exile writing in defense of the Faith and he became one of more influential churchmen of his day
+ Saint Hilary eventually returned to Poitiers and died there around 368
He has traditionally been invoked for protection against snakebites and was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1851
“Through the prophets and apostles we know about you, the one God the Father, and the one Lord Jesus Christ. May we have the grace, the face of heretics who deny you, to honor you as God, who is not alone, and to proclaim this as truth.”—Saint Hilary of Poitiers
On this day we also remember Blessed Ida of Argensolles, the abbess of the Cistercian monastery of Argensolles, Soissons, France. She died in 1226 and was honored for her holiness in the years following her death.
O Lord our God, you raised up your servant Hilary to be a champion of the catholic faith: Keep us steadfast in that true faith which we professed at our baptism, that we may rejoice in having you for our Father, and may abide in your Son, in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit; who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
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Think of this like supporting public broadcasting
The King’s Favorite, originally called Diane de Poitiers in France, is a 2022 French two-part miniseries starring Isabelle Adjani as the famous royal mistress of King Henry II
It still hasn’t been released in the U.S.
but I was able to watch it nonetheless through the magic of VPN (and you can too
Medieval Times Sex Dungeon is waaaaay too accurate as the costume theme here
Diane has the idea for Mary Queen of Scots to come live in France and be engaged to the dauphin
She and Henry spend more tender moments while discussing the MQoS situation
Diane wanders Chambord in head necklaces and crinkle cotton:
She’s pregnant again and wearing an unflattering poly baroque satin pleated bit attached to one of her earlier dresses
which won’t be invented until about a century from now
Diane wanders some chateau’s grounds
Henry has a surprise for her: Mary Queen of Scots has arrived
Diane’s in her silver and black with god knows what on her head
But Mary’s attendants are in some kind of modern Scottish dance outfits that I know are going to make Trystan scream:
There’s a bunch of stuff with Diane and a serving boy
He tells her Nostradamus won’t help with the gold anymore and encourages her to stop because she’ll get in trouble for witchcraft or whatever
Nostradamus tells her everyone’s fate is set and reminds her of a prediction he made about the king’s death
Diane’s embracing a very 1910s Poiret-type cape look
Diane does a LOT of wandering on the moors balconies in her dramatic gathered and hooded cape
Catherine wears full gold Christmas wrapping paper:
Diane wears some kind of beaded overlay that would be great if it were a partlet and/or sewn to her gown
but looks like a summer camp crafting number as-is
A suddenly grown-up Mary Queen of Scots is in cream with a high collar
I squint to try to decide if his “blackwork” is beaded
Diane Brontës (which I have now made a verb)
Catherine goes into full black for the occasion
She’s out hunting but clearly all is bleak without the king
She talks with the doctor and gives him her last wishes while draped in a lovely silk tulle veil
but this whole series is begun and now ended by a bunch of tourists visiting Diane’s memorial and hearing about her life … from a robot?
From the crowd of tourists appear actors Isabelle Adjani in a baseball cap and sunglasses and Hugo Becker in a turtleneck
Adjani says something about Diane’s life being proof that there isn’t a price to pay for beauty
We hope you enjoyed our recap of The King’s Favorite aka Diane de Poitiers
I think you’re all courageous to have the conviction to see watch this abomination
Because I’m pretty sure this qualifies as a legitimate defence for murder
Judge: LadySlippers why did you kill another flower in cold water
LadySlippers: I was driven mad because I watched this movie
you are pardoned as it’s a justifiable crime
There’s certainly been a lot of weird and terrible costume dramas coming out of France lately
I will join Trystan in screaming about the tartan
The chief lessons I’ve learned from this cringefest are: steer clear of bad costume dramas and excessive facial fillers
When I die I hope someone lovingly drapes a silk tulle veil over my head for The Look™
If I end up a spectre I want something dramatic to flip around in my ghostly wake
Gee they should have put THE SUPREME EQUERRY aka Lieut
Johnny Thompson in for the Highland dancer
I was hoping when Henri went off and joined the choir celestial
suddenly Diane would look totally ancient chrome
And I preferred Crowley and Azaraphael Tudor togs
And Diane’s pseudo black and white Brocade
I’m grateful that you sat through this eye-wateringly awful show for us
I’m sure I’m not the only Frocker (Flicker?) who’s been inspired by your recap to search out some actual facts about Diane de Poitiers
she was a much more interesting person who led a much more fascinating life than in the series
A show that dug into her complex relationship with a man she first met when he was 7 or 8 and she was 28 (!!!)
the confidence Henry as king had in her as an adviser so she even signed documents on his behalf
how she raised one of Henry’s illegitimate children – gee
what a fascinating TV series that would be
PS I got even more annoyed at the WTF ending of the show having seen the evocative François Clouet drawings of Diane on her Wikipedia page which show her as attractive but never beautiful – but everyone knows a woman can never succeed on the basis of her intelligence and personality
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Home>Poitiers: 5 Surprising Things About Our New Campus
Since 2001 Sciences Po has had a campus in Poitiers
but the undergraduate college was pushed for space at the Hôtel Chaboureau
There was a 15% increase in students in the space of 5 years
with the attractiveness of the Latin-American programme making new premises necessary
This became a reality in September 2018 at the heart of a new site built in the 18th century and reinvented for the 21st
Watch the guided tour on the occasion of the official inauguration which takes places on Wednesday
the former Jacobin convent occupied one of the buildings
The new campus reconnects the site with its educational vocation
the institution created in the Middle Ages by clergymen
successfully survived the ups and downs of history right up to the French Revolution
the convent became the seat of the Jacobin club (not to be confused with the previous tenants of the buildings)
a philanthropist bought the property and transformed it into the Ecole Saint-Vincent de Paul
but the educative vocation tied in with the building remained
the establishment became a boarding school and is renamed Pensionnat Saint-Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
Acquired and converted by the Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Thanks to the renovations financed by the region and the town
it once again becomes a “school” but this time
Read below for a short summary of the history of this exceptional place
we have conceived an “ideal campus” for the needs of students and instructors of the 21st century
students have more space: there are now 3 lecture halls
compared to only one with a capacity of 90 students on the old site
But there is the added benefit of more spaces for other purposes: an art room
The classrooms are equipped with the latest in teaching technology
and students now have access to a health centre in dedicated premises
The site is thus a pilot, which prefigures other campus improvements, and notably the new site, l’Artillerie in Paris
she also has a political aspect to her: her editor
eight famous personalities from the Latin American and Iberian world have given their names to spaces on campus
all of which were chosen from amongst student suggestions:
With 30 different nationalities out of 187 students, the Poitiers campus in parallel with the other delocalised campuses of the undergraduate college
is both international and anchored in the local framework
60% of students are international - Brazilians and Spanish being the biggest contingent
But since 2007 the campus has admitted 950 students from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
are both engaged in their local communities and fortunate enough to meet leaders from all over the world (since 2013
do not hesitate to become ambassadors of their campus the world over
The campus building also hosts the offices of 30 personnel from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
The acquisition of the site was in part financed by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
the deparmtent of Vienne and the urban community of Grand Poitiers
The restoration of the building has been overseen by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region since July 2017 and co-financed by Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Grand Poitiers
Sciences Po furnished the buildings with the help of the Region and Grand Poitiers
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Phone: +33 (0)1 45 49 50 50 | +33 (0)1 42 22 31 26
Home>Back to Campus: 3 Unexpected Facts About the Poitiers Campus
152 first-year students started the new academic year on the Poitiers campus in the presence of Mathias Vicherat
Vice-President of Education at the University of Poitiers
President of the regional council for the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and Bénédicte Robert
entitled "Women and Men in Responsibility within the State"
the first woman President of the Poitiers Court of Appeal and committed to advancing the cause of women
in English) was published and presented last February by Éditions Enrick B
The Poitiers campus and its Latin America-Caribbean minor
which moved to new premises in 2019 thanks to the support of the local actors and communities
is celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year
The new intake of students represents 20 different nationalities
Students are invited to study the languages of the geographical minor
Discover 3 unexpected facts about the Poitiers campus:
here's a video presenting the campus:
Cover image caption: Summer on the Poitiers campus
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On 27th February 2024 our editorial staff had the opportunity to visit Forsee Power‘s industrial plant in Poitiers
Situated on a brownfield investment dated 2018
the facility was previously used as a diesel engine piston plant
Our visit offered a glimpse into a facility transformed into a hub of modern energy solutions
On 27th February 2024 our editorial staff had the opportunity to visit Forsee Power‘s industrial plant in Poitiers, France
with a significant focus on e-bus technology
And more reporting on our visit will come soon
Over 3,000 e-buses are equipped with Forsee Power batteries so far
The facility in Poitiers spans 10,000 square meters for production
with an additional 2,500 square meters dedicated to components and 2,000 square meters for shipping operations
Forsee Power specializes in battery packs for both first-life and second-life applications
and had experienced a 54% growth in revenue from 2022 to 2023 (up to €171.4 million)
The share of heavy vehicles represented 85% of sales in 2023
Their products are utilized across various sectors
with a focus on heavy commercial vehicles (truck and buses)
light vehicles such as 3-wheelers and scooters
Forsee’s preferred (but not only) partners are LG
In terms of products, the latest news of the company is the addition of LFP formula in its offering
Looking forward, Forsee Power aims to achieve equilibrium in EBITDA by 2024, with a projected 15% positive EBITDA by 2028. Plans for expansion include scaling up production in Poitiers (today installed capacity of 2 GWh) to 4 GWh by 2028, alongside developments in the company’s other facilities in Poland, China, India, and the USA.
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and its symbolism became more curdled as the decades passed
Until then, only one Black actor had received a competitive acting Oscar: Hattie McDaniel
for her role as Mammy in “Gone With the Wind” (1939)
McDaniel had been typecast as sassy maids throughout her career
and the Oscar yoked her even tighter to a stereotype that was (fortunately) falling out of fashion
who was born in 1927 and brought up in the Bahamas
as a doctor caring for a racist white patient
clean-cut professional whose exceptional skill and equanimity make him “acceptable” in the white world
and who is often bound by circumstance to a racist counterpart
This was a vast improvement on the Mammy and Stepin Fetchit roles that preceded Poitier—and he had the megawatt charisma to pull it off—but it became another kind of trap
His characters were rarely able to show sexuality or anger
he took pains to keep the public from knowing about his years-long extramarital affair with Diahann Carroll
whom he met while filming “Porgy and Bess,” released in 1959
(Compare this with the endlessly publicized affair between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.) By then
I’m an average Joe Blow Negro,” he told the Times
I’m out there wailing for us all.” That same year
for “The Defiant Ones,” in which he plays a runaway from a chain gang who is handcuffed to a white convict
It was the first Best Actor nomination for a Black man
as Curtis (who was also nominated) wrote in his autobiography
the voters “weren’t going to give an Oscar to a black man or a Jew.” He was right: they both lost to David Niven
for “Separate Tables.” Like his character in “The Defiant Ones,” Poitier was handcuffed to a white industry
neither able to move forward without the other
United Artists sensed an opportunity to sell the movie as a parable of tolerance
Poitier had attended the March among a cadre of movie stars
including Charlton Heston and Marlon Brando; Hollywood was still smarting from the blacklist era
and the industry’s embrace of the March was
an “indication that some creative leaders of the movie industry have decided it is time to rejoin the nation.”
Its come-together ethos was made more urgent after the Kennedy assassination
while the film was playing its second month at L.A.’s Egyptian Theatre
with a “Calling All Churches” campaign geared toward religious and civic clubs
Poitier refused to campaign for an Oscar nomination
President Johnson had taken up the Civil Rights Act
where a group of Southern legislators launched a filibuster that would last an extraordinary seventy-five days
If there was ever a time for Hollywood to pick a side
in the words of the Los Angeles Times’ Oscar forecast
“a tribute to a Negro in a Negro-conscious world.” So strongly did the town’s sense of righteousness unite around Poitier that one of his competitors
announced that he would skip the ceremony and support him
on the stage of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
was laden with meanings: “Because it is a long journey to this moment
I am naturally indebted to countless numbers of people
Poitier was recognition not only of his talent
but also of the fact that Hollywood has felt guilty about color barriers of the past
some of which still exist here.” Poitier was doubtful
he sat on a hotel sofa and told a reporter
But I don’t believe my Oscar will be a sort of magic wand that will wipe away the restrictions on job opportunities for Negro actors.” In the Bahamas
the city of Nassau had a motorcade and an honorary banquet
the city declined requests for a ticker-tape parade
but Poitier was invited to City Hall to receive a medallion from the mayor
When two reporters kept asking him about civil-rights issues
Why is it everything you guys ask refers to the Negro-ness of my life and not my acting?” It was a rare instance of his exasperation bubbling to the surface
and he immediately added that he had intended no offense
titled “Why Does White America Love Sidney Poitier So?” Harking back to Poitier’s Oscar-winning role
Mason predicted that “until the day of complete honesty comes
white critics will gladly drag out a double standard and applaud every ‘advance’ in movies like ‘Lilies of the Field’ as so much American-style
Which is what the road to hell is paved with.”
The stunned Poitier called it “the most devastating and unfair piece of journalism I had ever seen.” But he noticed a resentment even among his Black peers
who “knew a naked truth about Hollywood: the motion picture industry was not yet ready to entertain more than one minority person at that level
and I couldn’t fight that.” Not long after
he built a house in the Bahamas and relocated there for four years
He saw his sudden obsolescence in the rise of blaxploitation
His era as a leading man in prestige films was
though in the seventies he found a new career as a director
By the time Poitier released “This Life,” he and McDaniel were still a club of two
and he lamented that “the present situation is somewhat bleak.” In 1983
became the first Black winner for Best Supporting Actor
for “An Officer and a Gentleman,” and seven years later Denzel Washington won in the same category
for “Glory.” The nineties went by without any Black winners for Best Actor or Best Actress
By the time that Poitier released “The Measure of a Man,” in 2000
his thirty-six-year-old statuette was less an honor than an indictment
“Sidney Poitier was the first—and remains the only—African-American actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his outstanding performance in Lilies of the Field in 1963
given the excellence of African-American talent in the industry today.”
Berry lamented that “knowing that another woman of color has not walked through that door is heartbreaking.” (She’s still waiting.)
In recent years, the Academy Awards have become a battleground in the fight for gender and racial representation in Hollywood
inspiring efforts toward more systematic change
The Academy launched a dramatic effort to diversify its membership
and released guidelines for inclusion on film staffs
it named the grand lobby of the new Academy Museum after Poitier
His image is almost certain to close out this year’s In Memoriam montage
as the Academy still basks in the gleam of his historic win
But his Oscar legacy is about more than “progress.” It’s also about solitude and the limits of symbolic victories
but the Oscar he got back was also a token—a shiny gold man trapped on a pedestal
A long-ago crime, suddenly remembered
A limousine driver watches her passengers transform
The day Muhammad Ali punched me
What is it like to be keenly intelligent but deeply alienated from simple emotions? Temple Grandin knows
The harsh realm of “gentle parenting.”
Retirement the Margaritaville way
Fiction by F. Scott Fitzgerald: “Thank You for the Light.”
Sign up for our daily newsletter to receive the best stories from The New Yorker.
Sidney Poitier won his first Oscar in 1964 for his role as Homer
the reluctant handyman in Lilies of the Field
His death was confirmed by the office of the prime minister of the Bahamas
Poitier was the first Black person to win a Best Actor Oscar — and for people of a certain age
bemused eye rolls and memorable physicality
It all symbolized — and offered a challenge to — the way Black men were represented in movies
and how they might be seen in the real world
Lorraine Hansberry's landmark work about the dreams and disappointments for a Black family in 1950s America
with actor Glynn Turman as Walter's son Travis
"We were in Chicago and it was just freezing," he recalls
"And I remember watching him take the time to stand there
Doesn't he know it's freezing out here?' Because the time he took with each person to sign these autographs just made him in my view grow bigger
As Detective Virgil Tibbs in 1967's In the Heat of the Night
Poitier famously struck back after being slapped by a white murder suspect
Sidney Poitier was well aware of his own symbolism
His life began far more humbly than the fame he would later negotiate; his first years were spent on Cat Island in Bahamas
The Poitiers brought their harvest to market in Miami by boat
and Sidney was born prematurely on one such trip
He was so small that he wasn't expected to survive
Poitier recalled his family's move to Nassau when he was 10
He had never seen his face in a mirror before then
I was looking at myself," Poitier remembered
His life in the Bahamas could hardly prepare him for becoming the most familiar of all Black men seen in Hollywood movies
His everyday workers and professional businessmen were elegant
Sidney Poitier shared top billing with Tony Curtis
Poitier's name above the title marked a turning point for his career
He was becoming more widely accepted by moviegoers
Sidney Poitier's rise in popularity seemed linked with the hopes of the civil rights movement
a handyman reluctant to help a group of German nuns lacking bricks or money for a new chapel
He made history with Lilies of the Field: In 1964
the same year as the passage of the Civil Rights Act
he became the first Black man ever to win as Oscar for Best Actor
Poitier became the top box office draw with three popular movies out the same year: To Sir With Love
in which he played big city detective Virgil Tibbs
who slaps him — and the detective immediately slaps back
Sidney Poitier told WHYY's Fresh Air back in 2000 that the script had called for Tibbs to be slapped
Poitier says he refused to turn the other cheek
it was an opportunity to show real anger at a white man for his mistreatment
and it held meaning far beyond the movie house
"And I insisted that if they wished my participation in the film
that they would have to re-write it to exemplify that."
Film critic Elvis Mitchell says there was a time when Black audiences were just happy to see someone on screen who wasn't
dissatisfaction with the civil rights movement and Poitier's mostly non-threatening roles made him an easy target
"He suddenly went from being the lone representation of his race to being unfairly castigated as the man who apologized for being Black
he wasn't in control of the movie business
he didn't choose to make the movies — he chose to be in them
claiming new territory for Black performers: He starred in
and directed comedies with large Black casts — the best known are Uptown Saturday Night
in which he played opposite the late singer and actress Abbey Lincoln
His debut as a director was Buck and the Preacher
he directed Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in Stir Crazy in 1980 his biggest commercial hit as director
Sidney Poitier received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement
"I accept this award in memory," he said on stage
"of all the African American actors and actresses who went before me in the difficult years
on whose shoulders I was privileged to stand to see where I might go."
There was a standing ovation for Sidney Poitier
Halle Berry and Denzel Washington won Best Actress and Best Actor that night
President Barack Obama awarded Sidney Poitier the Presidential Medal of Freedom
the highest civilian honor in the United States
A previous version of this story referred to Sidney Poitier as African American
Poitier's parents were from the Caribbean nation of the Bahamas
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He is often called the Athanasius of the West
They defended the Council of Nicaea and opposed the emperor ..
But Hilary’s approach to controversy differed from that of Athanasius
he was able to address their concerns clearly and directly
He was even willing to work with heretics as they opposed more radical heresies
He composed the first systematic treatise on the Trinity and was perhaps the first to introduce hymns into Western worship
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2850
Hilary of Poitiers, On the Trinity (first 3 books) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2851
Hilary of Poitiers, hymns https://hymnary.org/person/Poitiers_Ho
A hymn by Hilary in English translation https://youtu.be/bf51fVfV0VE
More works by the Fathers https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/
Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com
Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org
Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio
Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics. He is executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. See full bio.
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Move is part of a commitment to diversity in storytelling and storytellers
Editor’s note: This story is featured in the 2021 year in review
Arizona State University has renamed its film school after Hollywood icon Sidney Poitier
the first Black man to win the Academy Award for best actor
The move signifies the university’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity
according to ASU President Michael Crow.
“Arizona State University is deeply committed to the premise of inclusivity
and The Sidney Poitier New American Film School is an extension of that impact in an area of academic pursuit that will be advanced by representation of greater diversity and perspective,” he said.
“What we’re doing here is not just recognizing Sidney Poitier for his lifetime of achievements and his legacy
but naming our New American Film School for a person that embodies that which we strive to be — the matching of excellence and drive and passion with social purpose and social outcomes
The Sidney Poitier New American Film School
is one of five schools in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at ASU
The school will soon add two locations besides its current home on the Tempe campus: a new state-of-the-art facility in downtown Mesa that will be completed in fall 2022 and that will be the primary home for the film school
and ASU’s new center in downtown Los Angeles that will open later this year.
is known for breaking racial barriers and embodying characters with dignity and wisdom
He won the Oscar for his role in the 1963 film “Lilies of the Field,” which was set and filmed in Arizona
He also was the first Black actor nominated for a best actor Academy Award for the 1958 movie “The Defiant Ones.”
Sidney Poitier was the first Black performer to win the Oscar for best actor
The school is part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
and will be located at three locations: the Tempe campus
The Poitier School will reflect the actor’s mission of excellence in education and the arts
of the naming of The Sidney Poitier New American Film School
Three of Poitier's children (from left) Beverly Poitier-Henderson
Sydney Poitier Heartsong and Anika Poitier
saying they and their father are very happy about the renaming
Harry Belafonte recorded a message for Sidney Poitier on the occasion of the ASU film school renaming
Assistant Professor Eliciana Nascimento shares her thoughts on the video announcing the naming of The Sidney Poitier New American Film School
City of Mesa Mayor John Giles appeared in the video
talking about the future of his city and the The Sidney Poitier New American Film School
starting with “No Way Out,” a 1950 film in which he played a doctor who had to treat two white racists
he starred in three hit movies dealing with racial tensions: “To Sir
with Love,” “Guess Who's Coming to Dinner” and “In the Heat of the Night.”
including “Uptown Saturday Night” and “Stir Crazy.”
who grew up in the Bahamas before moving to the United States
served as the Bahamian ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007
“Sidney Poitier is a national hero and international icon whose talents and character have defined ethical and inclusive filmmaking,” said Steven J
dean of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at ASU
“His legacy will serve as a guide and inspiration for our school and the thousands of film students we educate.”
The school naming was revealed during a celebration video that was released Monday
featuring remarks by many in the ASU community
film industry icons and three of Poitier’s six daughters.
Beverly Poitier-Henderson said: “It’s fitting that ASU is embracing his work ethic and embracing his commitment to truth and his commitment to the arts and his commitment to education
Poitier-Henderson talked about how her father was often mobbed by fans when he went out
which was not always appreciated by his daughters when they were young
the family was at Disneyland and when fans started to crowd around
“Is that Sidney Poitier?” his annoyed daughters said
Their father discovered what they were doing and told them to stop.
“He told us that these were the people who put us and him where he was
“It’s really important to have diversity in the stories that we tell
and they need to be told by the people who are living these stories — and that’s a huge problem in this industry,” she said
“There are so many stories about Black people and brown people and women that are not told by the people who have lived these stories
and to deny their perspective is dangerous.”
Anika Poitier said she hopes The Sidney Poitier New American Film School will encourage students to tell their stories and provide a platform to share them
“Because I think that it’s what the world needs desperately right now.”
said that her father wanted Black people to have opportunities in all aspects of the film industry
the thing that angered him the most was that he was the only one
And he fought so that others could be included as well,” she said
“He wanted to see his story and his likeness represented on the screen
and he was also keenly aware of the fact that that wasn’t going to fully happen
unless there were people also behind the camera.”
Several current ASU film students also spoke on the video
describing how important it is for people to tell their own stories
According to his daughter Sydney Poitier Heartsong
the two most important things to Sidney Poitier are education and the arts
Serena Hoskyns said that once she was on campus
she knew she was doing what she was supposed to
“There’s a responsibility in film,” she said
and with the tropes and stories and things that have been left in place
it’s time for an emerging generation to show growth.”
an ASU alumnus and now the vice chairman of Lionsgate entertainment studio
said that change in the film industry is long overdue
“I also know that this naming is more than just a moment in time
It signals a transformative cultural shift in our nation,” he said
“Sidney Poitier is a hero and a role model whose example will ignite the energies of countless students.”
the new vice provost for inclusion and community engagement at ASU
like many students in The Sidney Poitier New American Film School
she was the first in her family to attend college
“I understand that for so many of our students
“It’s very meaningful that this is a film school that looks
a film school now named for a historic innovator in his field
someone constantly pushing for a level of excellence that’s informed by thinking about social justice and community,” said López
Dance and Theatre in the Herberger Institute
Among the celebrities on the video was actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte
“Sidney is not only a fine artist but also a dear human being and a wonderful American citizen,” he said
Actor John Lithgow noted that many university institutions are named for people whose achievements have faded from memory.
You are one of our founding fathers,” he said
Top photo of Sidney Poitier courtesy Getty Images
His roles in films like To Sir with Love mirrored my own experiences
As a young kid, there really weren’t many black figures to aspire to, to mould yourself to. I was always glued to the telly and one night my dad put on this film, In the Heat of the Night. I will always remember the moment when Sidney Poitier came on screen as Virgil Tibbs. Seeing any black person on TV was extraordinary, but seeing someone with such ability, such grace, such style, changed me.
I knew how bad racism was in the US at that time, and watching that film I feared for this black character in that world. But there’s a moment where an older white gentleman, Endicott, slaps Tibbs, and he immediately slaps him back in the face. There was an audible gasp in our living room, quickly followed by cheers. It was a thing we’d never seen before – he was standing up, he was strong, and he wasn’t taking any shit.
It was revolutionary for me as a young black man to see that sort of defiance in the face of overt racism, a defiance that was mirrored in Poitier’s role in the civil rights movement and his humanitarian work. I was quite ashamed at the time of how scared racism, and even the thought of being racially abused, made me feel. So to have him stand there as this kind of gladiator, unafraid to strike this old white man back, was groundbreaking. I’m emotional even thinking about it.
Poitier at the time was playing the kind of roles that people still aren’t even writing in England today. I still haven’t played one, even at this point in my career. It’s incredible that America even back then had black characters imbued with such beauty and charm – almost disarming the view of what black actors or black people were capable of.
Looking at the tributes pouring in from black actors, it’s clear how he inspired all of us to rethink what was possible. Every time I go onstage, every time I make a film or TV programme, he is one of my leading lights.
I bumped into him at the Golden Globes many years ago. Two months before I had been skint, but then I got the part in Homeland, and was whisked off into this world of fame. I was looking around at all these stars, and then I turned around and there he was. I leaped out of my chair and charged across the room. He must have thought I was a complete fruitcake, but he was graceful and generous as I bleated out how much I admired him. I shook his hand – an experience I will never forget.
NEW YORK — Sidney Poitier, the groundbreaking actor and enduring inspiration who transformed how Black people were portrayed on screen, became the first Black actor to win an Academy Award for best lead performance and the first to be a top box-office draw, has died. He was 94.
Poitier, winner of the best actor Oscar in 1964 for “Lilies of the Field,” died Thursday in the Bahamas, according to Eugene Torchon-Newry, acting director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Bahamas.
Few movie stars, Black or white, had such an influence both on and off the screen. Before Poitier, the son of Bahamian tomato farmers, no Black actor had a sustained career as a lead performer or could get a film produced based on his own star power. Before Poitier, few Black actors were permitted a break from the stereotypes of bug-eyed servants and grinning entertainers. Before Poitier, Hollywood filmmakers rarely even attempted to tell a Black person’s story.
Actor and civil rights activist Sidney Poitier (center) supporting the Poor People’s Campaign in Washington, D.C., in May 1968. Photo by Chester Sheard/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Poitier’s rise mirrored profound changes in the country in the 1950s and 1960s. As racial attitudes evolved during the civil rights era and segregation laws were challenged and fell, Poitier was the performer to whom a cautious industry turned for stories of progress.
He was the escaped Black convict who befriends a racist white prisoner (Tony Curtis) in “The Defiant Ones.” He was the courtly office worker who falls in love with a blind white girl in “A Patch of Blue.” He was the handyman in “Lilies of the Field” who builds a church for a group of nuns. In one of the great roles of the stage and screen, he was the ambitious young father whose dreams clashed with those of other family members in Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun.”
Debates about diversity in Hollywood inevitably turn to the story of Poitier. With his handsome, flawless face; intense stare and disciplined style, he was for years not just the most popular Black movie star, but the only one.
“I made films when the only other Black on the lot was the shoeshine boy,” he recalled in a 1988 Newsweek interview. “I was kind of the lone guy in town.”
Poitier peaked in 1967 with three of the year’s most notable movies: “To Sir, With Love,” in which he starred as a school teacher who wins over his unruly students at a London secondary school; “In the Heat of the Night,” as the determined police detective Virgil Tibbs; and in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” as the prominent doctor who wishes to marry a young white woman he only recently met, her parents played by Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in their final film together.
Theater owners named Poitier the No. 1 star of 1967, the first time a Black actor topped the list. In 2009 President Barack Obama, whose own steady bearing was sometimes compared to Poitier’s, awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying that the actor “not only entertained but enlightened … revealing the power of the silver screen to bring us closer together.”
“All those who see unworthiness when they look at me and are given thereby to denying me value — to you I say, ‘I’m not talking about being as good as you. I hereby declare myself better than you,’” he wrote in his memoir, “The Measure of a Man,” published in 2000.
But even in his prime he was criticized for being out of touch. He was called an Uncle Tom and a “million-dollar shoeshine boy.” In 1967, The New York Times published Black playwright Clifford Mason’s essay, “Why Does White America Love Sidney Poitier So?” Mason dismissed Poitier’s films as “a schizophrenic flight from historical fact” and the actor as a pawn for the “white man’s sense of what’s wrong with the world.”
Sidney Poitier holding his Oscar after winning Best Actor in a Leading Role for “Lilies Of The Field” in April 1964. Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images
Stardom didn’t shield Poitier from racism and condescension. He had a hard time finding housing in Los Angeles and was followed by the Ku Klux Klan when he visited Mississippi in 1964, not long after three civil rights workers had been murdered there. In interviews, journalists often ignored his work and asked him instead about race and current events.
“I am an artist, man, American, contemporary,” he snapped during a 1967 press conference. “I am an awful lot of things, so I wish you would pay me the respect due.”
Poitier was not as engaged politically as his friend and contemporary Harry Belafonte, leading to occasional conflicts between them. But he participated in the 1963 March on Washington and other civil rights events, and as an actor defended himself and risked his career. He refused to sign loyalty oaths during the 1950s, when Hollywood was barring suspected Communists, and turned down roles he found offensive.
“Almost all the job opportunities were reflective of the stereotypical perception of Blacks that had infected the whole consciousness of the country,” he recalled. “I came with an inability to do those things. It just wasn’t in me. I had chosen to use my work as a reflection of my values.”
Poitier’s films were usually about personal triumphs rather than broad political themes, but the classic Poitier role, from “In the Heat of the Night” to “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” was as a Black man of such decency and composure — Poitier became synonymous with the word “dignified” — that he wins over the whites opposed to him.
His screen career faded in the late 1960s as political movements, Black and white, became more radical and movies more explicit. He acted less often, gave fewer interviews and began directing, his credits including the Richard Pryor-Gene Wilder farce “Stir Crazy,” “Buck and the Preacher” (co-starring Poitier and Belafonte) and the Bill Cosby comedies “Uptown Saturday Night” and “Let’s Do It Again.”
In recent years, a new generation learned of him through Oprah Winfrey, who chose “The Measure of a Man” for her book club. Meanwhile, he welcomed the rise of such Black stars as Denzel Washington, Will Smith and Danny Glover: “It’s like the cavalry coming to relieve the troops! You have no idea how pleased I am,” he said.
Poitier received numerous honorary prizes, including a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute and a special Academy Award in 2002, on the same night that Black performers won both best acting awards, Washington for “Training Day” and Halle Berry for “Monster’s Ball.”
“I’ll always be chasing you, Sidney,” Washington, who had earlier presented the honorary award to Poitier, said during his acceptance speech. “I’ll always be following in your footsteps. There’s nothing I would rather do, sir, nothing I would rather do.”
Poitier had four daughters with his first wife, Juanita Hardy, and two with his second wife, actress Joanna Shimkus, who starred with him in his 1969 film “The Lost Man.” Daughter Sydney Tamaii Poitier appeared on such television series as “Veronica Mars” and “Mr. Knight.”
“The smell in that portion of the boat was so horrendous that I spent a goodly part of the crossing heaving over the side,” he told The Associated Press in 1999, adding that Miami soon educated him about racism. “I learned quite quickly that there were places I couldn’t go, that I would be questioned if I wandered into various neighborhoods.”
Poitier moved to Harlem and was so overwhelmed by his first winter there he enlisted in the Army, cheating on his age and swearing he was 18 when he had yet to turn 17. Assigned to a mental hospital on Long Island, Poitier was appalled at how cruelly the doctors and nurses treated the soldier patients. In his 1980 autobiography, “This Life,” he related how he escaped the Army by feigning insanity.
Back in Harlem, he was looking in the Amsterdam News for a dishwasher job when he noticed an ad seeking actors at the American Negro Theater. He went there and was handed a script and told to go on the stage. Poitier had never seen a play in his life and could barely read. He stumbled through his lines in a thick Caribbean accent and the director marched him to the door.
“As I walked to the bus, what humiliated me was the suggestion that all he could see in me was a dishwasher. If I submitted to him, I would be aiding him in making that perception a prophetic one,” Poitier later told the AP.
“I got so pissed, I said, ‘I’m going to become an actor — whatever that is. I don’t want to be an actor, but I’ve got to become one to go back there and show him that I could be more than a dishwasher.’ That became my goal.”
The audience included a Broadway producer who cast him in an all-Black version of “Lysistrata.” The play lasted four nights, but rave reviews for Poitier won him an understudy job in “Anna Lucasta,” and later he played the lead in the road company. In 1950, he broke through on screen in “No Way Out,” playing a doctor whose patient, a white man, dies and is then harassed by the patient’s bigoted brother, played by Richard Widmark.
The only Black actor before Poitier to win a competitive Oscar was Hattie McDaniel, the 1939 best supporting actress for “Gone With the Wind.” No one, including Poitier, thought “Lilies of the Field” his best film, but the times were right (Congress would soon pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, for which Poitier had lobbied) and the actor was favored even against such competitors as Paul Newman for “Hud” and Albert Finney for “Tom Jones.” Newman was among those rooting for Poitier.
When presenter Anne Bancroft announced his victory, the audience cheered for so long that Poitier momentarily forgot his speech. “It has been a long journey to this moment,” he declared.
Poitier never pretended that his Oscar was “a magic wand” for Black performers, as he observed after his victory, and he shared his critics’ frustration with some of the roles he took on, confiding that his characters were sometimes so unsexual they became kind of “neuter.” But he also believed himself fortunate and encouraged those who followed him.
“To the young African American filmmakers who have arrived on the playing field, I am filled with pride you are here. I am sure, like me, you have discovered it was never impossible, it was just harder,” he said in 1992 as he received a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute. “
“Welcome, young Blacks. Those of us who go before you glance back with satisfaction and leave you with a simple trust: Be true to yourselves and be useful to the journey.”
AP Film Writer Jake Coyle and former Associated Press Writer Polly Anderson in New York contributed to this report.
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This was how a long, enduring friendship was formed, as Belafonte recalled Friday, shortly after Poitier’s death at the age of 94.
“For over 80 years, Sidney and I laughed, cried and made as much mischief as we could,” Belafonte, also 94, said in a statement. “He was truly my brother and partner in trying to make this world a little better. He certainly made mine a whole lot better.”Indeed, before they ever appeared together onscreen, Poitier and Belafonte collaborated on more important work.
But they reconciled when Belafonte brought the “Buck” script to Poitier, and they agreed to co-star and co-produce. When they determined their choice to direct, Joseph Sargent, wasn’t the right man for the material, Poitier stepped in to direct his first of nine movies.
The chemistry between the two friends is palpable. Poitier plays Buck, a wagon master and Union veteran trying to protect formerly enslaved people and Native Americans in the wake of the Civil War. Belafonte is the wily Preacher, a bit of a con man who nonetheless agrees to help his new friend. (They don’t start off as friends: In their first scene together, Buck steals Preacher’s horse while Preacher bathes naked in a river).
Poitier and Belafonte would continue celebrating each other and lifting each other up through the years. Poitier introduced Belafonte at the Kennedy Center Honors awards ceremony in 1989. Belafonte hosted Poitier’s American Film Institute lifetime achievement honors in 1992. Poitier presented the Spingarn Medal to Belafonte at the NAACP Image Awards in 2013. They were always there for each other, each telling the world about the other’s greatness.
Now, only one remains. There will never be another Belafonte. And there will never be another Poitier.
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Medievalists.net
Michael and Kelly take another look at this important battle from the Hundred Years’ War
How do a visit to the battlefield and the writings of an Italian chronicler change their views on how Edward the Black Prince gained his victory
This talk follows up on Episode 23, which also looked at the battle. You can listen to it here
Kelly DeVries is a Professor at Loyola University in Maryland and Honorary Historical Consultant at the Royal Armouries, and currently teaching at the United States Air Force Academy. You can learn more about Kelly on his university webpage
Michael Livingston teaches at The Citadel and is the author of numerous books on medieval history as well as fiction novels. You can learn more about Michael on his website, or follow him on Twitter @medievalguy
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this Oprah Winfrey-produced documentary is an eloquent rebuke to the ‘sellout’ narrative that bedevilled Poitier’s stellar career
talent and heroismThis article is more than 2 years oldDirected by Reginald Hudlin
Poitier came of age in the 1960s as a pioneering African-American movie star, in an era when society was loosening up: McCarthyism was on the wane, paranoia was declining, America’s white middle classes were waking up to civil rights and he was to prove a persuasive and charming ambassador for black rights with wonderful presence, dignity and Shakespearian bearing – although oddly, he never acted in Shakespeare.
Read moreThe documentary does a very good job in showing just how astounding Poitier’s self-invention was
a story almost Dickensian in its drama and romance
And Hudlin tells us about some movies in Poitier’s CV that may have been forgotten: like the very interesting Something of Value from 1957
another black/white pairing (this one with the Rock Hudson)
set in Kenya at the time of the Mau Mau uprising
with Poitier in a more brutal and less emollient role
This documentary is a spirited rebuke to the “sellout” narrative which has been allowed to grow up around his career
Sidney screened at the Toronto film festival and is released on 23 September on Apple TV+
Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed
Tributes have cascaded in since Sidney Poitier died last week at 94
Poitier first became a movie star in the 1950s – an era where most of the Black men in movies and on television had little choice as to how they were portrayed
Some were silly (see Amos 'n Andy — the TV show
not the radio) or dim (Stepin Fetchit) or cast to be white-people-friendly
(Louis Armstrong was a musical genius and a race man
but in the 60s and 70s his Cheshire Cat grin was an embarrassment to many people my age; it seemed obsequious to young people newly enamored of Black nationalism.) Sidney was none of that
I remember my mother's cast album of the movie Porgy and Bess; even as a character forced to move about on his knees
Sidney projected strength (But not with his singing voice; he was tone-deaf
so was dubbed by the great baritone Robert McFerrin
father to another musician who urged us Don't Worry
Of course our mothers had to flock to the movies to support him
Bahamian-American actor and civil rights activist Sidney Poitier supporting the Poor People's Campaign at Resurrection City in Washington
Especially in movies like Paris Blues, For Love of Ivy and A Warm December, where he fell in love with women who looked like them. Many of them were less enthusiastic about Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, in part because Poitier's character, a Nobel-nominated physician, seemed to have partnered with a white woman, yes, but one who seemed pretty clueless about the uphill were battle they were going to have as an interracial couple
the movie debuted in the same year interracial marriage had become legal in all 50 states.)
When he became the first Black man to win a Best Actor Oscar for Lilies of the Field
Poitier strode to the podium in white tie and tails
navigating through a sea of well-wishers and thunderous applause
mildly giddy speech that was full of humility and delight
and thanked the "brave visionaries" who took a chance on him earlier in his career: "I benefited from their effort
America benefited from their effort," he told the onlookers
Sidney Poitier walks off the stage with presenter Denzel Washington after receiving an honorary Oscar during the 74th Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood
That particular moment had a lot of Black folks of all ages swooning
accomplished Black men who had done so much to broaden America's narrow vision of Black manhood on film
But as my mother archly pointed out to me that evening
Idris!—were able to follow because there was a Sidney
he'd changed the cinematic landscape of what was possible
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47 FILM FESTIVAL TRIBUTE TO POITIER AND BLACK ACTORS OF HIS GENERATION
View the series flyer
The first major Black male movie star of his generation and the first to win an Oscar for Best Actor (for Lilies of the Field)
Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) had a career (that included directing) spanning six decades
But there was little room for other Black stars in 1950s and ‘60s Hollywood
Poitier’s enormous popularity paved the way for the Black actors who followed him
with perhaps the exception of Harry Belafonte (a super-star in his own right)
the actors of his own generation had fewer opportunities
originally planned for 2020 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Poitier’s film debut (in Joseph L
includes Poitier classics like In the Heat of the Night
along with films featuring contemporaries like James Edwards
The series is a sequel to Film Forum’s 2020 Black Women festival
“Poitier almost singlehandedly changed Hollywood’s image of Black America
and few other Black film stars have had as significant an impact on Black audiences
Poitier answered the needs of both Black America and Hollywood
The Poitier image would further evolve in the 1970s
the age of Blaxploitation cinema with its highly charged heroes
He turned to directing and starring in more personal movies geared to the Black audience yet which often proved to be mainstream hits: the rousing Buck and the Preacher; the tender romance A Warm December; and the all-star comedy Uptown Saturday Night
Joining Poitier—in contributing to a significant change in Black film representation—were other important actors: Ivan Dixon in Nothing But A Man; the groundbreaking James Edwards in Home of the Brave; the iconic Puerto-Rican-born Juano Hernandez in Intruder in the Dust; the quietly resilient Canada Lee in Cry
the sometimes overlooked performances of Poitier’s contemporaries proved to be stunning
and powerful—and along with Poitier altered the face of American movies.” — Donald Bogle
Programmed by Donald Bogle and Bruce Goldstein
Presented with support from the Ada Katz Fund for Literature in Film
Daniel Palladino & Amy Sherman Palladino
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