Piñero

Benjamin Bratt shines in the title role of Piñero, an acclaimed biopic about the influential poet, playwright, and actor Miguel Piñero. A member of the Nuyorican movement of artists, Piñero helped to illuminate issues faced by Puerto Ricans living in New York in the 1960s and 70s. Born in Puerto Rico, Piñero was constantly running afoul of the law as a young man in New York City. He eventually ended up in the maximum-security prison Sing Sing. There, he became interested in writing and theater and composed the play Short Eyes in 1974. On his release, Piñero’s play became a Broadway hit, received six Tony Award nominations, and was adapted into a feature film in 1977. 
 
As Piñero’s career as a pioneering Latino actor and writer continued, so did his bouts with the law. He passed at the age of 41 after a life of drug addiction. The nonchronological structure of the film along with a shifting visual palette echoes the multifaceted nature of Piñero’s turbulent life. (103 mins., 35mm) 

Piñero’s relationship with artist Martin Wong was explored in our 2016 exhibition Martin Wong: Human Instamatic, during which we screened Short Eyes.
 
The program opens with readings by Columbus-based poets Scott Woods, who founded Streetlight Guild, and Dr. Sidney Jones, Jr., a Louisiana-born Columbus City Schools educator, lecturer, and poetry slam coach. 
 
See the full Sonnets and Cinema series lineup. 

IMAGE CAPTION
Piñero, courtesy of Paramount Pictures.