With more than a quarter of a century of filmmaking under his belt, Spike Lee has begun working with students to provide opportunities for them to reach their dreams. The tough-minded director on set has proven to have a soft spot when it comes to youth and the next generation of filmmakers.
Lee is a welcomed guest lecturer offering candid discussions about the art of filmmaking on campuses throughout the U.S. He is surprisingly accessible to students and makes it part of his routine to lecture at universities such as his alma maters, Morehouse and NYU, as well as Clark Atlanta, Hamilton College, Chicago State University, Rutgers, Savannah State, DePauw, Shippensburg and the College of William and Mary.
The 20th anniversary of one of his most celebrated films, Do the Right Thing, took him on a whirlwind visit to campuses. The movie has helped to launch the careers of actors such as Samuel L. Jackson, John Tutturo, Rosie Perez, Martin Lawrence and Giancarlo Esposito. Other Lee films, Jungle Fever and Mo’ Better Blues, helped to propel Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes and Halle Berry into bigger roles.
Teacher in and out of the classroom
A lot has changed since Spike Lee enrolled at NYU as a graduate student seeking to sharpen his craft. Never far from controversy or success, his student short film, The Answer, was a response to the racially charged 1915 Birth of a Nation film that many deemed racist and was once used as a recruitment tool for the Ku Klux Klan. However, his thesis film, Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, was the first student film to be showcased in Lincoln Center’s New Director’s/New Film Festival.
Lee was named artistic director of NYU’s graduate film program in 2002. Lecturing primarily in the fall semesters, he can often be spotted walking around campus or meeting with students. His thesis-level graduate film class meets once a week, and while the class only has between 36 and 40 students, there are 1,000 applicants each year.
“Just to have him here and working at the school has been phenomenal,” says Patti Pearson, associate director of special projects at NYU.
