Friday Kanopy Movie Pick: Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart

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Although the library is closed, you can still enjoy our Friday afternoon movie matinee from home at any time via Kanopy. In honor of Women`s History Month, the main branch had scheduled a showing of Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart.

This documentary sheds light on all aspects of Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun. It discusses the daunting challenge of securing investment and a venue for the production of a story about a working class Black family, as well as the casting process, artistic debates and its public reception. The film features interviews with the play's original cast members, including Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Louis Gossett, Jr. and Glynn Turman, director Lloyd Richards, and producer Phil Rose.

About Lorraine Hansberry

Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois to Carl Augustus Hansberry, a real estate broker, and Nannie Louise, a driving school teacher and ward committee member. After attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison for two years, Hansberry decided to pursue a career in writing and move to New York, where she attended The New School. In 1951, she moved to Harlem, where she continued her work as an activist.

Her best-known work, A Raisin in The Sun, premiered on Broadway on March 11, 1959, becoming the first play on Broadway to be produced by an African American woman. At the age of 29, she became the youngest American playwright and fifth woman to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. After the success of A Raisin in The Sun, Hansberry continued to publish essays, articles and write other plays. Her play The Sign in Sidney Brustein`s Window ran for 101 performances on Broadway. On January 12, 1965, at age 34, Lorraine Hansberry died of Pancreatic Cancer. This was also the night of the last performance of The Sign in Sidney Brustein`s Window.

How to use Kanopy

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