Steven Spielberg directed The Color Purple, his ninth feature, from Menno Meyjes’s adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The Color Purple tells the story of a young woman’s search for inner strength and self-worth in the early 1900s with the help of two strong-willed and powerful women. Whoopi Goldberg, who received an Academy Award® nomination in the lead role of Celie, will participate in a post-screening conversation about the film. Goldberg won a Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in Ghost (1990) and served as host of the 66th, 68th, 71st and 74th Academy Awards presentations.

The Color Purple features a stellar cast that includes Danny Glover as Albert and Margaret Avery as Shug, Albert’s one-time love interest and the ultimate catalyst for Celie’s life-changing discoveries. Oprah Winfrey made her feature film debut as Sofia.

The Color Purple shares the record for most Academy Award nominations without a win. It earned 11 nominations, including Best Picture, but did not take home an Oscar. In Academy Awards history, only one other film has done so (The Turning Point in 1977).

Academy Award nominee: Actress in a Leading Role (Whoopi Goldberg), Actress in a Supporting Role (Margaret Avery), Actress in a Supporting Role (Oprah Winfrey), Art Direction (J. Michael Riva, Robert W. Welch; Set Decoration: Linda DeScenna), Cinematography (Allen Daviau), Costume Design (Aggie Guerard Rodgers), Makeup (Ken Chase), Music – Original score (Quincy Jones, Jeremy Lubbock, Rod Temperton, Caiphus Semenya, Andrae Crouch, Chris Boardman, Jorge Calandrelli, Joel Rosenbaum, Fred Steiner, Jack Hayes, Jerry Hey, Randy Kerber), Music – Original song (“Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister),” Music by Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton; Lyric by Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, Lionel Richie), Best Picture (Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Quincy Jones, producers), Writing – Screenplay based on material from another medium (Menno Meyjes).

Warner Bros. 1985. 154 minutes.

Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may be reserved by calling 1-888-778-7575. Depending on availability, tickets may be purchased in person on the night of the screening. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved.