For Immediate Release
Media contacts:
Jane Turnis
(719) 389-6138
JTurnis@ColoradoCollege.edu
Leslie Weddell
(719) 389-6038
Leslie.Weddell@ColoradoCollege.edu
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Nov. 21, 2008 – Director, producer, actor and author Spike Lee will discuss his experiences as an independent filmmaker at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 9 in Armstrong Theatre, located inside Armstrong Hall, 14 E. Cache La Poudre St., on the Colorado College campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Lee, who was voted the 48th greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly, is widely regarded for films such as “Inside Man,” “Do the Right Thing,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” and, most recently, “Miracle at Saint Anna.” His often deal with social and political issues, and he has been known since his film school days for stirring up controversy with his work.
His 1989 film “Do the Right Thing” portrays his neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the racial tensions that emerge on a very hot day. The movie garnered an Oscar nomination for Danny Aiello as supporting actor. Another film, Malcolm X, released in 1992, in which Denzel Washington portrayed the civil rights leader, resulted in an Oscar nomination for Washington.
Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta Ga. The son of a school teacher and a jazz musician, Lee moved with his family to Brooklyn, N.Y., when he was a child. Lee enrolled in Morehouse College where he made his first student film, “Last Hustle in Brooklyn.” He took film courses at Clark Atlanta University and graduated with a B.A. in mass communications from Morehouse College. He then enrolled in New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and graduated in 1978 with an MFA in film and television.
In addition to filmmaking, Lee also teaches at New York University and Columbia University. His 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks production company has produced more than 35 films since 1983.
Lee's lecture at Colorado College is sponsored by the Cultural Attractions Fund, Film Series, Black Student Union and the CC Film Union.
For information, directions or disability accommodation at the event, members of the public may call (719) 389-6607.
About Colorado College
Colorado College is a nationally prominent, four-year liberal arts college that was founded in Colorado Springs in 1874. The college operates on the innovative Block Plan, in which its 1,985 undergraduate students study one course at a time in intensive 3½-week blocks. The college also offers a master of arts in teaching degree. For more information, visit www.ColoradoCollege.edu <http://www.ColoradoCollege.edu>.