THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT
TACOMA, Wash. – Spike Lee, groundbreaking filmmaker, actor, and author, who led a wave of new thinking in social commentary cinema, will give a public talk at University of Puget Sound on Monday, Feb. 28.
“An Evening with Spike Lee” will start at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in Memorial Fieldhouse on N. 11th Street in Tacoma. Tickets for the talk, sponsored by the Susan Resneck Pierce Lecture in Public Affairs and the Arts, will go on sale Monday, Jan. 24. More ticket information is below.
Best known for his controversial films and provocative documentaries, Lee is a master of communication through media as varied as the cinema, television commercials, music videos, books, and the headline-grabbing quotation. He recently published Do the Right Thing, a book based on the 1989 hit film that brought him to national attention. Last August he aired his second documentary about Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, If God is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise. This came five years after the television release of When the Levees Broke, a four-hour documentary that won a Peabody Award and three Emmy Awards.
The twice-nominated Academy Award contender and writer-director employs his films to examine issues at the heart of American society, often using his hometown, Brooklyn, N. Y., as the setting. Known for appearing in his own films and for using unconventional film techniques, Lee has earned popular and critical acclaim for films such as Inside Man, Clockers, Jungle Fever, Mo’ Better Blues, Summer of Sam, She Hate Me, and Malcolm X, starring Denzel Washington. His most recent film, Miracle at St. Anna (2008), tells the story of four African-American soldiers trapped in an Italian village during World War II.
It was Lee’s first feature film, She’s Gotta Have It, released in 1986, that initially set his career alight. The film garnered so much attention that Nike hired him to direct commercials starring basketball star Michael Jordan for the new Air Jordan line. Soon advertisers including Levi’s, Philips, American Express, and the U.S. Navy were soliciting his talents.
Lee speaks passionately when he sees prejudice or injustice, sometimes leading to friction with public figures, journalists, and other Hollywood actors. His most cutting commentary, however, comes in his films, and, on occasion, from his courtside seat in Madison Square Garden where he expresses his avid advocacy of his beloved New York Knicks professional basketball team.
“I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to express the view of black people who otherwise don’t have access to power and the media,” he wrote in Do the Right Thing. “I have to take advantage of this while I’m still bankable.” With a Google News search turning up 500 mentions of his name in less than two weeks, it seems there’s no danger of that happening anytime soon.
The Susan Resneck Pierce Lecture in Public Affairs and the Arts series is named for the president emerita of University of Puget Sound. The series brings intellectuals, writers, and artists to the university to present challenging ideas that stimulate further exploration and discussion on campus. It is sponsored by the President’s Office. According to Puget Sound President Ronald R. Thomas, “Spike Lee is one of the most original and influential artists of his generation, and I am delighted that he is able to share his searing vision and distinct talent with our entire community.”
Past Pierce lecturers included the Hon. Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, N.J., political commentator David Brooks, U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, The New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, playwright Edward Albee, race and religion scholar Cornel West, musician Philip Glass, playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, and dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp.
Admission is $15 for the general public and $10 for students with identification. Puget Sound students, faculty, and staff attend for free, but tickets must be acquired in advance. For tickets contact Wheelock Information Center, or order by credit card at 253.879.3419, beginning Monday, Jan. 24.
For directions and a map of the campus: www.pugetsound.edu/directions.xml
Press-quality photos of Spike Lee can be downloaded from: www.pugetsound.edu/pressphotos.xml
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