More than two decades after he started making it, SMU graduate Kirk Kelleykahn’s documentary debut is finally available to the public.
The project, A Star Without a Star, salutes the life and career of Kelleykahn’s late grandmother, Oscar-nominated actress Juanita Moore, and makes a case for her recognition with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
After debuting at festivals in 2022, the film will be available for streaming on Apple TV+ starting July 4, thanks to a distribution agreement with Freestyle Digital Media.
Moore’s trailblazing legacy included dozens of films highlighted by the 1959 Douglas Sirk drama Imitation of Life, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Moore died in 2014 at age 99.
The documentary features excerpts from the last filmed interview with actor Sidney Poitier prior to his death in 2022, and is narrated by Poitier’s son Jeffrey. Other interviewees include late actress Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and Susan Kohner, who portrayed Moore’s on-screen daughter.
Kelleykahn earned a theater degree from SMU and has worked most prominently as an actor before transitioning behind the camera. Plus, his advocacy efforts were ultimately successful, as Moore was posthumously immortalized with a Hollywood star in October 2024.
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