Synopsis
In a stunning performance, Sidney Poitier plays Black detective Virgil Tibbs, incarcerated in a small Mississippi town as a murder suspect with no explanation or chance to defend himself. When Sheriff Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) discovers that Tibbs is one of the leading homicide experts in his state, he releases him and begrudgingly asks for his help in solving the case. Throughout the investigation, the detective will need to deal with the town’s pervasive racism, the aggression of its inhabitants, and uphold a difficult relationship with the police department. In the year after his death, Olhar de Cinema will celebrate Poitier’s work, who was also a film director, with the screening of one of his most memorable performances. (G.B.)
Director
Norman Jewison
Throughout his solid and diverse career, Canadian producer and filmmaker Norman Jewison (1926) directed over 20 feature films, among which many award-winning blockbusters in American cinema. His filmography includes several noteworthy works such as "In the Heat of the Night" (1967); "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1968); "The Fiddler on the Roof" (1971); "Rollerball" (1975); and "Moonstruck" (1987). In addition to his renowned directing work, Jewison played an important role as a producer in film and television, and founded the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto.
Friday 15:45 
