Icons just will themselves to a different level…
Sidney is the definitive portrait of a man who understood the importance of a sense of self inside one’s own community.
From director Reginald Hudlin, and told in the man’s own words himself; this film traces the evolution of someone who made himself into the kind of man that generations of young African-American men have looked up to as one with pride and understanding in the power of his own voice.
The film allows us to respect his ownership over the very art that he put on the screen through the use of archival footage, clips from a myriad of his most iconic films and sit down interviews with those who knew and those who loved him best.
His commitment to social change in the midst of the civil rights movement had power as he successfully curated an early career that was filled with entertaining moments that also meant something on a profound level for African-American audiences.
As he reinvented himself in his later years, this piece of cinema serves as a testament to how he was an ever evolving talent on the pop culture landscape who was always capable of making an impact.
Sidney never loses sight of what a beacon of hope he was in a world that so desperately needed the integrity that man brought the world on a daily basis. Even in its overall and glowing praise, it never devalues the icon that he was and still is.
David Voigt is a Toronto based writer with a problem and a passion for the moving image and all things cinema. Having moved from production to the critical side of the aisle for well over 15 years now at outlets like Examiner.com, Criticize This, Dork Shelf (Now That Shelf), and to.Night Newspaper.
He’s been all across the continent; serving on the FIPRESCI Jury at the Festival Du Nouveau Cinema in Montreal, covering festivals out side of Toronto like Calgary Underground Film Festival, CUFF Docs, Slamdance, Fantasia, SXSW, DOC NYC, Santa Barbara Film Festival, New York Asian Film Festival and many others
However, In the uncertain world of modern film journalism, David also knew that he needed to have a hand in writing and cementing his own contributions on the global film scene.
Having eclipsed the 10 year anniversary of his own outlet, In The Seats, where he’s been striving to support film (and TV) from all walks of life and his podcast “In The Seats With…” where after 5 & ½ years and over 750 episodes he’s talked with a wide variety of filmmakers, actors, behind the scenes artisans and so much more on the art of storytelling for the screen, which is spawning the launch of a new show in the Spring of 2026. “ITS: Soundtracks” will focus on the use of soundtrack and score in film which he believes is a combination that is the cinematic equivalent of Peanut Butter and Chocolate.
All this as well as hosting and moderating a variety of big screen events around the city, covering film in all its forms is just a way of life for him.
