Emily Sun (11) | STAFF REPORTER
The film industry has multiple diverse talents that make this area of work so entertaining. In honour of Black History Month, we will be remembering one of the legends who paved the way for Black excellence in the film industry today. Sidney Poitier, the first Black actor to win an Oscar in 1964, gave an award-winning performance that opened many doors for future Black artists.
Sidney Poitier became the first Black man to win an Oscar for his performance in the 1963’s film “Lilies of the Field”, where he played the lead role. In his time, he had also starred in multiple other popular films circling around racial inequality and examined prejudice. Some films from 1967 include, “To Sir With Love”, “In the Heat of the Night”, and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”. These films were all based on the idea of racial inequality. Later on in his career, Poitier expanded into directing films, in hopes of aiding in the advance of Black talent on screens.
Not only had Poitier advanced his own career in the film industry, he also allowed many other famous Black artists to arise in his footsteps. Just like Poitier, Denzel Washington is an actor-turned-director. He starred in the film “Tragedy of Macbeth” and in 2021, recently released his self-directed film, “A Journal for Jordan”, starring many Black actors and actresses, such as Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams. As Poitier had opened the door for so many Black artists, his career had major contributions to the film industry that we know today.
