Mr. Poitier was a Bahamian American actor, film director, and diplomat. Born in 1927 in Miami, he was the
first Black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor (1963). He grew up in the
Bahamas, but moved to Miami at age 15, and to New York City when he was 16. He received two
competitive Golden Globe Awards, a competitive British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and
a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.
Poitier was one of the last major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. He joined the American
Negro Theatre, landing his breakthrough film role as a high school student in the film Blackboard
Jungle (1955). In 1958, Poitier starred with Tony Curtis as chained-together escaped convicts in The Defiant
Ones, which received nine Academy Award nominations; both actors received nominations for Best Actor, with
Poitier's being the first for a Black actor. They both also had Best Actor nominations for the BAFTAs, with
Poitier winning.
In 1964, he won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actor for Lilies of the Field (1963),
playing a handyman helping a group of German-speaking nuns build a chapel. Poitier also received acclaim
for Porgy and Bess (1959), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), and A Patch of Blue (1965). He continued to break
ground in three successful 1967 films which dealt with issues of race and race relations: To Sir, with
Love; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and In the Heat of the Night, the latter of which won the Academy
Award for Best Picture for that year.
He received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for his performance in the last film, and in a poll the next
year he was voted the US's top box-office star. Beginning in the 1970s, Poitier also directed various comedy
films, including Stir Crazy (1980), starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, among other films. After nearly a
decade away from acting, he returned to television and film starring in Shoot to Kill (1988)
and Sneakers (1992).

Cry, the Beloved Country won the 1952 David O. Selznick Golden Laurel Award for its contribution to
international understanding and good will. Cry, the Beloved Country was clandestinely co-written by John
Howard Lawson.  The first President of the Writers Guild of America (West) – Lawson was branded a
Communist Sympathizer and ‘blacklisted’ by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) during
the 1950’s.  Questioned by members of the committee, including Congressman Richard M. Nixon of
California, Lawson was charged with Contempt of Congress and spent time at the Federal Prison in Ashland,
Kentucky.
His storied career continued off the stage, serving as a Bahamian Ambassador to Japan. Sir Sidney he was
knighted by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II in 1968. In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the
highest civilian honor in the United States, by President Barack Obama. In 2016, he was awarded the BAFTA
Fellowship for outstanding lifetime achievement in film.

Lights, Camera, Action! 📽️ The Peace Center is proud to present screenings of the Oscar-Nominated Short Films in all three categories once again. Join us for the best of Animated, Live Action and Documentary February 25-27.*

With screenings of all three categories taking place each day, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the films that caught the Academy’s eye! Detailed synopses will be added as they become available.

*Please be advised that the Oscar-Nominated Short Films feature mature content that may not be appropriate for children. 

Lights, Camera, Action! 📽️ The Peace Center is proud to present screenings of the Oscar-Nominated Short Films in all three categories once again. Join us for the best of Animated, Live Action and Documentary February 25-27.*

With screenings of all three categories taking place each day, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the films that caught the Academy’s eye! Detailed synopses will be added as they become available.

*Please be advised that the Oscar-Nominated Short Films feature mature content that may not be appropriate for children. 

If you missed the February 4 showing of this heartwarming movie celebrating overlooked and crucial contributions by a trio of Black women from a pivotal moment in history, catch an encore showing.

Lights, Camera, Action! 📽️ The Peace Center is proud to present screenings of the Oscar-Nominated Short Films in all three categories once again. Join us for the best of Animated, Live Action and Documentary February 25-27.*

With screenings of all three categories taking place each day, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the films that caught the Academy’s eye! Detailed synopses will be added as they become available.

*Please be advised that the Oscar-Nominated Short Films feature mature content that may not be appropriate for children. 

• Enjoy the new beer brewed with coffee, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon + pecans and celebrate the Carnival season with live music.

Lights, Camera, Action! 📽️ The Peace Center is proud to present screenings of the Oscar-Nominated Short Films in all three categories once again. Join us for the best of Animated, Live Action and Documentary February 25-27.*

With screenings of all three categories taking place each day, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the films that caught the Academy’s eye! Detailed synopses will be added as they become available.

*Please be advised that the Oscar-Nominated Short Films feature mature content that may not be appropriate for children. 

Lights, Camera, Action! 📽️ The Peace Center is proud to present screenings of the Oscar-Nominated Short Films in all three categories once again. Join us for the best of Animated, Live Action and Documentary February 25-27.*

With screenings of all three categories taking place each day, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the films that caught the Academy’s eye! Detailed synopses will be added as they become available.

*Please be advised that the Oscar-Nominated Short Films feature mature content that may not be appropriate for children. 

Lights, Camera, Action! 📽️ The Peace Center is proud to present screenings of the Oscar-Nominated Short Films in all three categories once again. Join us for the best of Animated, Live Action and Documentary February 25-27.*

With screenings of all three categories taking place each day, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the films that caught the Academy’s eye! Detailed synopses will be added as they become available.

*Please be advised that the Oscar-Nominated Short Films feature mature content that may not be appropriate for children. 

Some folks have expressed interest in movie nights so lets try it out. We will still do introductions, set the boundaries for the evening, and do an icebreaker. Then it will be movie time. We will be watching David Attenborough’s “A Life on Our Planet” which is just under an hour and a half). After the movie people can continue cuddling).

This will be an indoor event. DO NOT ATTEND if you or someone you are physically close with is sick or has increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. For now, we are requiring people who attend to be vaccinated and encouraging mask wearing. After you register please email us a pic of your vax card.

This is a non-sexual touch based event that invites participants to explore platonic intimacy with like-minded people in an environment that upholds personal boundaries and respect through a supportive framework of mutual agreements that maximize safety and create a space of easy openness and compassionate connection.

At this event we have the chance to normalize touch and intimacy with clear boundaries; this is a space for respectful, consent-based touch. We allow ourselves to be seen. We have fun. We get our touch needs met.

We welcome people of all backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, economic statuses, races, spiritual or religious beliefs, sizes, and ages (children welcome; parents/guardians must keep your eyes on your children and be responsible for them).

THE RULES OF CUDDLING

1. Clothes stay on for the whole event.

2. You do not have to touch anyone.

3. You must ask permission and receive a verbal YES before you touch anyone. Please be specific in your requests.

4. If you feel a yes, say YES. If you feel a no, say NO. If you’re a maybe, say NO. You can always change your mind.

5. Get your facilitator or assistant if you have a question or concern, or if you need assistance with anything during the event.

6. Talking, laughter, silence, silliness, stillness, and crying are welcome.

WHY CUDDLE?

Touch is a basic human need, and many of us do not get enough; most people don’t even know they are missing touch, or have a way to ask for touch without sexualizing it. We believe deeply in the power of touch, and the importance of communication and consent in creating a safe space for touch.

CUDDLING WITH STRANGERS

Cuddling with strangers sounds weird or scary to most people. “Will I like it?” “What if someone wants to touch me and I don’t want to?” “What if I say yes and it’s not what I want?” “What if I really want to touch someone and they say no?” These are all normal questions. The answer is that this is a space created to ask for exactly what you want, and receive NOTHING you don’t want. Many people start out nervous at a cuddle event. Most are really, really glad they came.

ETIQUETTE

• ARRIVE ON TIME: It is important that all participants arrive before the Welcome Circle. The Welcome Circle serves the purpose of creating the safe space for consensual, non-sexual touch between participants and making sure that everyone is informed about consent.
• Please be free of strong scents; many folks would rather not be close to someone who smells of cigarettes, perfume, or essential oils. Your clean self is a good smell!
• BE SOBER: Please do not drink or smoke before or at this event.

WHAT TO BRING: The only thing that you are required to bring is a clean and sober you.

We take individual and group safety seriously! if you experience, see, or know that one of our participants is not safe to be at a touch based event we want to know about it. We are committed to doing our best to create a safe environment which means that if someone is causing harm (physical or mental) that person is not welcome here (this includes harm that takes place outside of our events). We stand behind survivors and know that some of our participants are here to heal from touch based trauma.

Lights, Camera, Action! 📽️ The Peace Center is proud to present screenings of the Oscar-Nominated Short Films in all three categories once again. Join us for the best of Animated, Live Action and Documentary February 25-27.*

With screenings of all three categories taking place each day, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the films that caught the Academy’s eye! Detailed synopses will be added as they become available.

*Please be advised that the Oscar-Nominated Short Films feature mature content that may not be appropriate for children. 

Lights, Camera, Action! 📽️ The Peace Center is proud to present screenings of the Oscar-Nominated Short Films in all three categories once again. Join us for the best of Animated, Live Action and Documentary February 25-27.*

With screenings of all three categories taking place each day, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the films that caught the Academy’s eye! Detailed synopses will be added as they become available.

*Please be advised that the Oscar-Nominated Short Films feature mature content that may not be appropriate for children. 

Lights, Camera, Action! 📽️ The Peace Center is proud to present screenings of the Oscar-Nominated Short Films in all three categories once again. Join us for the best of Animated, Live Action and Documentary February 25-27.*

With screenings of all three categories taking place each day, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the films that caught the Academy’s eye! Detailed synopses will be added as they become available.

*Please be advised that the Oscar-Nominated Short Films feature mature content that may not be appropriate for children. 

Muddy Sneakers is proud to host Asheville and Salisbury’s only screening of Mountainfilm on Tour this March! Join us virtually from Thursday, March 3rd to Sunday, March 6th for a fantastic weekend of community and film as we celebrate our shared passion for the outdoors. As this event is virtual, viewing the films is entirely at your leisure! Once you register for your ticket, you will receive a confirmation email with the show link. The event will go live at 9:00am ET March 3rd, and end at 11:55pm ET March 6th.

This year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and our desire to raise awareness of our work in the communities we serve, we’re giving tickets away for free! We only ask for a meaningful donation to support Muddy Sneakers’ mission and work. To learn more about Muddy Sneakers, visit www.muddysneakers.org