25th Anniversary for "Do the Right Thing"

July 1, 2014

do-the-right-thing-25-eb3aee4f3934532c65fdfc6927678013b720ad46-s4-c85The Academy Film Archive celebrated director Spike Lee’s 1989 film Do the Right Thing with a Silver Anniversary screening last Friday. Set in New York’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood “the film about racial tension reaches a boiling point on a scorching summer day in Brooklyn.” President and Mrs. Obama joined the celebration via videotape where they talked about seeing Do the Right Thing on their first date. The president said: “So Spike, thank you for helping me impress Michelle, and thank you for telling a powerful story. Today, I’ve got a few more grey hairs than I did back in 1989. You don’t look like Mookie anymore. But Do the Right Thing still holds up a mirror to our society, and it makes us laugh, and think and challenges all of us to see ourselves in one another.” You can read the entire NPR article here.

Laura


$300,000 Arts Prize Awarded to Spike Lee

September 18, 2013

spike leeFilmmaker Spike Lee is the 2013 recipient of the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, established by Lillian Gish’s will. Now in its 20th year, it is given annually to “a man or woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind’s enjoyment and understanding of life.” Chairman of the selection committee Darren Walker said: “We honor Spike Lee for his brilliance and unwavering courage in using film to challenge conventional thinking, and for the passion for justice he feels in his soul.” Chosen from among 30 finalists and nominated by artists, Mr. Lee’s films include feature films as well as documentaries. Read more about him here and check out the EPL catalog for works by and about him.

Laura


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