VFF Best of The Fest: Sammy Davis, Jr.: I�ve Gotta Be Me

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Friday, March 9th, 2018
Fri, Mar 9 at 5:30 pm Sat, Mar 10 at 7:00 pm Sun, Mar 11 at 7:00 pm

Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me is the first feature-length film documentary to examine Davis’ considerable talent and his journey to establish his identity during the civil rights movement in 20th-century America.

Born into a family of entertainers, Davis, a dancer, singer, impressionist and actor of remarkable charisma, began dazzling audiences at age three and would continue to defy expectations and shatter glass ceilings throughout his careerFilmmaker Sam Pollard has extensive experience covering Black America. An accomplished editor and a long-time collaborator with Spike Lee, his directing credits include Slavery by Another Name and episodes of Eyes on the Prize II. His portrayal of Davis captures the balancing act that typified the performer’s life. Using Davis’ own words with archival footage of interviews and his performances, with input from friends including Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Lear, Jerry Lewis and Kim Novak, Pollard’s film is electric.

His love affairs with white women and his eventual friendship with controversial President Richard Nixon ostracized him from the Black community. Yet, he was still a trailblazer for the race. In I’ve Gotta Be Me, Pollard walks his audience through Davis’ career – one that saw an abundance of firsts. He was the first black entertainer to do impressions of white celebrities, the first black celebrity to sleep in the White House and the first black actor to partake in an interracial kiss on Broadway.

Davis strove to achieve the American Dream in a time of racial prejudice when “Even if you win, you don’t win.”

https://www.victoriafilmfestival.com/box-office/vic-films/sammy-davis-jr-ive-gotta-be-me/