On March 22, 2016, the DGA Special Projects Committee treated members to a screening of Director Norman Jewison’s 1967 classic drama In the Heat of the Night. Presented in the Guild’s Los Angeles Theater complex, the evening opened with a reception and ended with a Q&A between the Director and Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan.
Based on John Ball’s 1965 novel, In the Heat of the Night tells the story of Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), an African-American detective from Philadelphia who is mistakenly accused of the murder of a wealthy white factory owner in a small town in rural Mississippi. Once Tibbs’ identity is cleared up and the bigoted local police chief (Rod Steiger) discovers that he is a homicide expert, he reluctantly asks for his assistance, thrusting Tibbs into the midst of a highly charged and racially explosive environment. In the Heat of the Night won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Writing for an Adapted Screenplay.
Following an introduction by Kagan, Jewison welcomed the audience and cued the film he has called his personal favorite. After the screening, the two participated in a lengthy Q&A discussing not just In the Heat of the Night, but several of Jewison's other acclaimed works including Jesus Christ Superstar, Moonstruck and The Thomas Crown Affair. Kagan's insightful questions covered topics ranging from pre-production and casting to the challenges of directing and advice to young filmmakers.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Norman Jewison received his BA at the University of Toronto’s Victoria College. After graduating, he moved to London where he wrote scripts and acted in bit parts for BBC productions. He returned to Canada to become a production trainee and assistant director at the fledgling CBC Television, where over the next seven years he wrote, directed, and produced a wide variety of musicals, comedy-variety shows, dramas, and specials.
He made his feature film directing debut with the 1962 comedy Forty Pounds of Trouble and followed-up with the equally light-hearted comedies The Thrill of It All and Send Me No Flowers. Determined to tackle more demanding projects, Jewison made his breakthrough into drama with the gambling-themed film The Cincinnati Kid in 1965. He then made the acclaimed Cold War paranoia satire The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, which was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and earned Jewison his first DGA Award nomination. His subsequent films include Rollerball, Agnes of God, The Hurricane; the Academy Award-nominated Fiddler on the Roof, and the DGA and Oscar-nominated A Soldier’s Story.
A DGA member since 1960, in 2010 Jewison was honored with the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Feature Film Direction.