ACMI The voice of a revolution

Born in New York in 1927 to Jamaican immigrant parents, he spent his youth moving between the streets of Harlem and the island communities of Jamaica, where he was exposed to the pervasive levels of racism of the era. Struggling to cope at school, Belafonte joined the Navy where he served during WWII. During his time of service he discovered the work of W. E. B. Du Bois, an early founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. On his return to civilian life he discovered a play at the American Negro Theatre with African American actors in roles they would not normally be cast in. These early instances marked a pivotal point in his life, where his love of the arts and his passion for human rights activism would intersect and set him on a path he would follow for the rest of his life. Belafonte went on to become one of the leading voices of the movement campaigning for civil rights in the 1950s and 60s. His work and that of his close friends, including the inimitable Martin Luther King, Jr., has been credited with raising awareness of the struggle into the consciousness of the American people.

Directed by Susanne Rostock, Sing Your Song is the touching and inspirational story of a phenomenal performer and passionate activist. Sing Your Song screens from Saturday 14 April to Sunday 29 April.