On the occasion of Black History Month, the Hellenic American Union, in collaboration with Mooviereel and Petit Plan: Cinema for Teens, presents Daniel Petrie’s classic film with Sidney Poitier Grapes in the Sun / Raisins in the Sun. (1961). Screening of the film on Tuesday, February 28, at 19.00, admission is free for the public.

In 1960 Chicago, an African-American family struggles to survive in a poor apartment. Hope for everyone seems like a $10,000 check they’re about to receive from an insurance company. However, as it seems, this money is not enough for each of them’s different dreams about the future.

The film is based on the play of the same name by Lorraine Hansberry, the first African American woman whose play was staged on Broadway in 1959, and takes its title from Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem”. Although the creators of the show did not think that it would be a success, it turned out to be just the opposite. Both the play and the film came at a critical juncture in the struggle for social rights for blacks in America. It was the jailing of Roa Parks in 1954 for refusing to give up his seat to a white bus passenger, and, of course, the vicious lynching of little Emmett Till a year later in 1955. In the 60s, the thermometer rose dangerously.

Leading actors Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil received Golden Globe nominations for their performances. In 2005, the film was selected by the National Film Registry of the United States of America as “culturally, historically and aesthetically” outstanding.

The preface to the film is Jerome Kaluta. Singer, musician and actor Kaluta was born and raised in Athens, originally from the Congo. His music combines Afro-European influences with funk, soul, reggae and disco. As an actor, he has collaborated with Giannis Kakleas, Fokas Evangelino, Dimitra Papadopoulou and others, and also participated in several films and television series. His first personal record was “Afrogreco”, consisting of 11 songs performed in 5 languages, which was released by his eponymous label.