Written by Kianna Best on Sep 12, 2022. Posted in Awards and Festivals

World premiere of Sidney graces the stage of TIFF

The Toronto International Film Festival saw the world premiere of the Sidney documentary on 11 September 2022. The film centering around actor, filmmaker and Civil Rights activist Sidney Poitier, features candid interviews with admirers of the beloved star. Sidney is set to release on Apple TV+ on 23 September 2022.

Supported by the production hands of Oprah Winfrey and Derik Murray, and guided by Reginald Hudlin with his directorial leadership, the production’s release, anticipated for five years, has finally come to fruition. Narrated with the use of eight hours’ worth of interview footage with Winfrey and other archival contributions, Poitier’s steady tone of voice accompanies the audience along the linear telling of his extraordinary life.

Image courtesy of Apple TV+

From the Bahamas to the United States, Poitier would have to navigate life moving from an all-black upbringing to a racially turbulent nation. With his film debut in No Way Out, Poitier soon entered stardom with his first Oscar nomination for The Defiant Ones. As the first black man to win an Oscar, the Lilies of the Field actor has played a critical role in shaping Black representation in Hollywood.

An inspiration to many both in and outside of the entertainment industry, it is no shock to see the number of star-studded names that have contributed their voices to speaking highly of the actor. The documentary will feature candid interviews from Lenny Kravitz, fellow Best Actor Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, first Best Actress Oscar-winner Halle Berry, Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Spike Lee and many others.

Image courtesy of TIFF

Poitier’s career is a multidimensional wonder, from his on screen performances, Broadway spectacles and behind the camera confidence and skill which earned him the title as the most successful director during the time for Stir Crazy which made USD100 million. With Poitier’s daughter Anika Poitier acting as one of the film’s executive producers, the account of his life, and the combinations between his words and the admiring ones of many others will paint a personally poignant portrayal of his story.