When Sidney Poitier died in January he left behind him a legacy, which not only included some exceptional performances - the iconic Virgil Tibbs in In the Heat of the Night and his teacher in a tough London school in To Sir, With Love - to name but two - but also his status as an on screen symbol of the civil rights movement.

In this talk, Dr Roger Griffith MBE will be looking back at Sir Sidney’s career and discussing his favourite cinematic moments. Through a range of specially selected clips he will highlight how race and injustice in films such as The Defiant Ones and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner remain relevant today, and celebrate the work of a ground-breaking star, the very first Black man to win the Best Actor Oscar®.

The talk will be followed by a screening of Sidney, a sweeping documentary on Poitier that surveys his films, life story, and litany of accomplishments as an artist and activist who forever changed what it means to be Black in America.

Featuring candid interviews with Denzel Washington, Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Spike Lee and many more, the film was made in close collaboration with the Poitier family.

About Roger:

Roger has been sharing cultural stories, global observations on race and social inequality for over thirty years. He is a CEO/consultant at his social-business Creative Connex and a UWE Bristol lecturer. He credits film and arts for shaping his education and activism and is a member of the Come The Revolution film collective supported by Watershed since 2013. In 2019 he was awarded an MBE for his services to Diversity and Arts and in 2022 he was awarded a Doctor of Arts by UWE Bristol.

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