Produced by Oprah, “Sydney” shows how Poitier “redefined” Hollywood.Lifestyle

Toronto (Reuters) — Oprah Winfrey and Reginald Hudlin told Reuters ahead of the world premiere of ‘Sydney’.

Directed by Hudlin and produced by Winfrey, the Apple TV+ documentary opens the door for the next generation of black actors in Hollywood and says, “Poitier’s redefinition of what it means to be black in people’s minds and what it means to be black in the world.” Celebrate life,” Winfrey said in an interview.

“For a lot of people, that was their first relationship with a black man,” she said of seeing Poitier on the big screen. “

For blacks in the 1960s, climbing to the top of Hollywood was no easy task. Poitier’s portrayals of doctors, lawyers, and detectives have broken down barriers.

As a detective in the 1967 film In the Heat of the Night, Virgil Tibbs, played by Poitier, is interrogated by a white police chief in the southern United States. Standing up for himself, Poitier responds strongly, “They call me Mr. Tibbs.”

“As an artist and as a black artist, it was important that he played only roles that represented integrity for himself and that represented integrity for his family,” Winfrey said.

Narrated by Poitier, the film portrays the figure of a very self-respecting family man, highlighted by the way his strong upbringing made him the man he is today.

“Whoever you are, this film speaks to an important part of you and gives you the opportunity to follow the example of Sidney Poitier and improve yourself,” said Hudlin.

The film includes interviews with Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Robert Redford, Lenny Kravitz, Barbra Streisand, Spike Lee, and Harry Belafonte, and Poitier sets the film industry’s standards. We share stories about how we pulled it off.

Winfrey said that watching Poitier become the first black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for Lilies of the Field in 1964 gave him hope of what was possible in his life. reminds me of

I remember thinking, ‘If he can do it, what can I do? “