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Arizona State University names film school after screen legend Sidney Poitier

Arizona State University has unveiled The Sidney Poitier New American Film School.
Credit: AP
FILE - Sidney Poitier poses with his honorary Oscar trophy during the 74th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 24, 2002. Arizona State University has named its new film school after Poitier. The university, which is expanding its existing film program into its own school, says it has invested millions of dollars in technology to create one of the largest, most accessible and most diverse film schools. The Sidney Poitier New American Film School will be unveiled at a ceremony on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)

PHOENIX — At 93, screen legend Sidney Poitier has achieved a new career milestone: Arizona State University has unveiled The Sidney Poitier New American Film School. 

University president Michael M. Crow says the decision to name the school after Poitier, the first Black winner of a lead acting Oscar, is about much more than an emphasis on diversity. 

He says it's about the filmmaker's creative energy and drive and the way he advanced his life. 

The university says it has invested millions of dollars in technology to create what’s intended to be one of the largest, most accessible and most diverse film schools. 

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