January 2025 programme highlights at BFI

The programme for January 2025 at BFI Southbank starts with Sidney Poitier: His Own Person, a major celebration of the trailblazing actor, director and activist who broke barriers with a filmography that showcased his dazzling vitality and made him cinema’s first Black superstar.

The season, programmed by Jonathan Ali, will reflect on the progression of Poitier’s vast career and commemorate his legacy, from early work such as No Way Out (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950) and Blackboard Jungle (Richard Brooks, 1955), to the films in which he was Hollywood’s biggest box office draw, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Stanley Kramer, 1967) and In the Heat of the Night (Norman Jewison, 1967).

Conscious of a responsibility that came with his success, Poitier initially cultivated a persona of virtue and respectability, but when audiences began to demand an edgier Black hero he also used his clout to direct and star in films reflecting the new mood. As times changed, so did the Poitier persona – from actor, to director, to legend – and the season also features films that demonstrate this era in his career, including The Lost Man (Robert Alan Arthur, 1969), A Warm December (Sidney Poitier, 1973), The Wilby Conspiracy (Ralph Nelson, 1975), Stir Crazy (Sidney Poitier, 1980) and Sneakers (Phil Alden Robinson, 1992). A special event on the second anniversary of Poitier’s passing (6 January), For Love of Sidney Poitier will see season programmer Jonathan Ali and a panel of special guests consider Poitier’s key roles and films, positioning his filmography in the wider landscape of Hollywood while reflecting on his legacy and his role in inspiring future generations….