Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

The first of two films screening at Kiln Cinema during the production run of Retrograde to honour the life and success of the late Sidney Poitier. A Q&A with Kiln Associate Director Amit Sharma,who is directing Retrograde, and playwright Ryan Calais Calmeron, will precede the film.

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). John has a lot going for him. He’s a world-renowned medical doctor, due to embark on a three-month trip to work for the World Health Organisation. The only problem is… he’s Black.

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.

Released in the same year as In the Heat of the Night and To Sir, With Love, 1967 proved an incredible year for Sidney Poitier, confirming him as one of the top box office stars, without sacrificing his social conscience.

Cast includes Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn

Directed by  Stanley Kramer

Cert PG

Please note, the appearance of any artist cannot be guaranteed.