"A visionary. A commander. A warrior. There are not enough words to describe Spike Lee’s creative impact. In the war against cinematic apartheid, he has led the charge to bring Black humanity to the screen by telling diverse stories that cover a wide range of topics." - Gil Robertson, President of the African American Film Critics Association. You can read Robertson's full written tribute to Spike Lee on the Cinematheque website. Follow AAFCA on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Spike Lee is scheduled to join the American Cinematheque on Sat. June 20th for a free virtual Q&A retrospective discussion on his career and new film Da 5 Bloods. The conversation will be moderated by filmmaker Barry Jenkins, director of If Beale Street Could Talk and Academy Award winning Best Picture, Moonlight. These two impressive creative artist are bound to provide a conversation that is anticipated to be both lively and engaging as they cover the extraordinary life and career of Mr. Lee, one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.
In anticipation of the Q&A, the film organization invites film fans to revisit Spike Lee’s filmography virtually, available on the following streaming platforms: BlacKKKlansman is available on HBO Max. Do the Right Thing and Crooklyn are available on Amazon. And Malcom X, She's Gotta Have It, and School Daze are available on Netflix. Once these films hook you, I encourage you to seek out the rest of Lee's filmography, which is listed in its entirety on IMdB.
Spike Lee was an instructor at NYU while I was pursuing a masters in Film Production. Since I was not a Directing Major, I wasn't sanctioned to enroll in any of his classes, but I was allowed to sit in from time to time when he had a particularly special guest speaker. And when I did it was amazing to see Lee in his element, sharing his wisdom and stories from set. It's an electrifying experience that should be taken advantage of when ever presented the opportunity. Don't let this one pass you by.
I'm sure tickets are bound to sell out fast, so get yours now. And prepare for an evening like no other. And get there early so that you can sit back and relax until the event begins. You'll be on the edge of your seat from that moment on.