Film Screening and Discussion: “Dear Mr. P… A Love Letter to James Lloydovich Patterson”
In 1936, three-year-old James Lloydovich Patterson was the most popular child film star in Soviet Russia. Now at 91, Patterson lives a quiet life in a Washington, DC retirement home. Dear Mr. P documents Patterson’s extraordinary story as the son of a Black American father and Russian mother who rocketed into fame for his childhood role in the Soviet classic film Circus. He would go on to become a sailor in the Soviet Black Sea Fleet and a published author before moving to the United States following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Kennan Institute hosted a free screening of Dear Mr. P followed by a discussion with Amy Ballard, the film’s producer and Mr. Patterson’s guardian, and scholar Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon.
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Kennan Institute
After more than 50 years as a vital part of the ˻ֱ Center legacy, the Kennan Institute has become an independent think tank. You can find the current website for the Kennan Institute at kennaninstitute.org. Please look for future announcements about partnership activities between the ˻ֱ Center and the Kennan Institute at ˻ֱ Center Press Room. ˻ֱ is proud of its historic connection to the Kennan Institute and looks forward to supporting its activities as an independent center of knowledge. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the surrounding region through research and exchange. Read more