Spike Lee is to obtain a BFI Fellowship, the best honor bestowed by the UK’s lead group for movie.
The award shall be offered to filmmaker Lee at an occasion at BFI Southbank, hosted by BFI Chair Tim Richards and BFI Chief Exec Ben Roberts, with an on stage Q&A with Spike Lee accompanied by a screening of Summer of Sam, on 13 February 2023.
While within the UK, Lee will go to groups on the BFI National Archive, who’ve liaised with the director on a brand new 35mm print of Malcolm X (1992), to premiere on the BFI’s inaugural Film on Film Festival happening at BFI Southbank in June. He will even take a masterclass with younger filmmakers.
Born in Atlanta in 1957 however raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Lee obtained his MFA in Film Production at NYU/Tisch. After commencement, he based 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, based mostly in Brooklyn.
Among his string of acclaimed motion pictures are Cannes title She’s Gotta Have It, Oscar nominee Do the Right Thing, Jungle Fever, the aforementioned Malcolm X and Summer Of Sam, and Oscar winner BlacKkKlansman.
Lee has additionally directed TV (Netflix collection She’s Gotta Have It) and documentaries together with Oscar-nominated 4 Little Girls and Emmy winner When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006) and If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise (2010), each for HBO, and Michael Jackson docs Bad 25 and Off The Wall.
Lee commented in the present day: “I’m Blessed To Live Up To My Ancestors Credo “DEEDS, NOT WORDS”. I Thank The BFI For Helping Me in Continuing My Generations Of Family Legacy. Peace And Love. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF.”
Tim Richards, BFI Chair, mentioned: “I’m honoured and excited to be awarding Spike Lee the celebrated BFI Fellowship. Lee has such a particular voice as an auteur, unafraid to problem concepts of race, gender and sophistication all through his profession along with his distinctive cinematic model. A real renaissance man and pioneer, he has excelled in so many artwork kinds, staying unique, contemporary and as related to up to date audiences as those that have loved his work for over thirty years. I’m delighted to be celebrating his monumental expertise and individuality with a BFI Fellowship.”
BFI Fellowship recipients embrace Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker, Satyajit Ray, Tilda Swinton, David Lean, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Steve McQueen, Akira Kurosawa, Nicholas Roeg, Orson Welles, Ridley Scott, Ousmane Sembène, Bernardo Bertolucci and Souleymane Cissé.
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