Lilies of the Field (1963 film)

Lilies of the Field is a 1963 American comedy drama film directed and produced by Ralph Nelson. Adapted by James Poe from William Edmund Barrett’s 1962 novel, the film takes its title from the Sermon on the Mount. It stars Sidney Poitier as Homer Smith, an itinerant handyman, who encounters a group of East German nuns in the Arizona desert. Led by the determined Mother Maria Marthe, played by Lilia Skala, the nuns believe Homer has been sent by God to build them a chapel.

Praised by critics, Lilies of the Field earned five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Skala. Poitier won the Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the first Black actor to win in a leading role. The film also features an early score by Jerry Goldsmith. In 2020, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".