Sidney Poitier Cinema Season

Alongside the world première of Retrograde, a duo of Sidney Poitier’s films will be screened at Kiln Cinema to accompany the production on stage. Ryan Calais Cameron’s new play, set in 1950s Hollywood, is based on a true event in the life of legendary actor.

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner

9 May, 7pm

Q&A with Kiln Associate Director and director of Retrograde Amit Sharma and Retrograde playwright Ryan Calais Cameron, followed by the screening.

In the peak of the civil rights movement in late 1960s America, Joanna (Katharine Houghton) has struck a new romance with John Prentice (Sidney Poitier), and organises a moment to introduce her new lover to her seemingly forward thinking, liberal parents (Academy Award-winning Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn).

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is not your typical romantic comedy. Set in the aftermath of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it boldly tackles the themes of race and interracial relations at a time where the latter was only recently decriminalised, and was still a taboo. Over the course of one day, raw conversations expose the faultlines between thought and deed.

Discount available for Retrograde ticket holders. Simply log in to your account and the £2 discount per ticket will be applied.
Booking for Retrograde at the same time as booking your screening ticket? Use promocode POITIER2 to save £2 off each screening ticket.

Book now

Buck and the Preacher

23 May, 7pm

Q&A with Kiln Associate Director and director of Retrograde Amit Sharma followed by the screening.

Sidney Poitier made his mark not just as an actor, but also as a filmmaker with this Western, his directorial debut. Co-starring the magnetic Harry Belafonte, it’s a showcase for Poitier’s talent in front of and behind the camera. Buck (Poitier) is a cowboy ‘wagon master’, charged with shepherding freed slaves to settle land in the Wild West in the aftermath of the American Civil War. A con-artist preacher (Belafonte) initially hopes to sell out Buck to the white cowboys on his trail, but the odd couple soon find themselves teaming up to carve out a ragged freedom for themselves.

A hilarious buddy movie, Buck and the Preacher is also thoughtful about the racial dynamics of the founding of the United States, including its indigenous peoples. Now available in a sparkling new 4K restoration, it’s a testament to Sidney Poitier’s risk-taking and ambition in carving a path in Hollywood.

Discount available for Retrograde ticket holders. Simply log in to your account and the £2 discount per ticket will be applied.
Booking for Retrograde at the same time as booking your screening ticket? Use promocode POITIER2 to save £2 off each screening ticket.

Book now

Retrograde

by Ryan Calais Cameron
Directed by Amit Sharma

20 April – 27 May
Tickets from £15

Book now