2026 Sarasota Film Festival
A Portrait of a Postman
Screenings
- Sat, Apr 11, 6:30 PM EDT• New College of Florida/Sainer Pavilion
The astonishing dual life of Kermit Oliver, a Waco, Texas African American mail sorter who worked the graveyard shift while creating incredible painting and scarf designs for Hermes treasured worldwide.
Directed by Chris Charles Scott
Synopsis
He was a mail sorter in Waco, Texas—and the only American ever commissioned by Hermès. For decades, Kermit Oliver worked the graveyard shift while creating scarf designs treasured worldwide. A Portrait of a Postman reveals this astonishing dual life, a story of genius hidden in plain sight. But just as his art reaches its zenith, an unfathomable tragedy pushes Kermit into the darkness. Director Chris Charles Scott vividly chronicles Oliver’s journey, with commentary by family, colleagues, and others along the way.Winner of three Dallas International Film Festival awards and “Best of the Best” at Martha’s Vineyard, this haunting documentary explores the razor’s edge between brilliance and isolation, and the life of a genius living in the shadows.
In Attendance: Producer Joe Murphy