Programmed February 2022

Starring Harry Belafonte

For trailblazing singer and screen star Harry Belafonte, acting and activism were always closely intertwined. Rising to prominence in the 1950s, the Jamaican American Belafonte became the first singer to sell over a million records with his chart-topping album Calypso, which introduced the Caribbean musical style to listeners around the world. Inspired by his mentor Paul Robeson, Belafonte used his celebrity to take on roles that challenged racial prejudices and taboos in films like the hard-hitting noir Odds Against Tomorrow and the apocalyptic science-fiction drama The World, the Flesh and the Devil , both of which he coproduced. Projecting an easygoing charisma and passionate intensity in front of the camera and making key contributions behind it (the hip-hop drama Beat Street , which he produced and composed the music for but did not appear in, is also included here), Belafonte was instrumental in transforming the depiction of Black Americans on-screen and remains a fiercely outspoken advocate for progressive political and social change.

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