It’s a missive dated Da People’s Republic Of Brooklyn, New York. Spike Lee, its author, tells of the shock, happiness, surprise and pride that his announcement caused when he was appointed president of the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Certainly, the American filmmaker is a regular at the Croisette, which he has frequented since 1986, since the selection of his first feature film, Nola Darling does it only, at the Directors’ Fortnight.
But the liaison between the author of Malcolm X (1992) and the Festival has sometimes taken a tumultuous turn. In 1989 Do The Right Thing does not obtain the Palme d’or from the jury chaired by Wim Wenders, and the director conceives a strong frustration of it, which he focuses on the German scenario writer. He will still come back in the official selection, in competition, with Jungle Fever in 1991, then out of competition with girl 6 in 1996. In 1999, he returned to the Directors’ Fortnight with Summer of Sam.
One of the rare African-Americans competing at Cannes
Spike Lee reminds us of all of this in his long acceptance letter, the fiery tone of which suggests the intensity he will bring to the accomplishment of his task.
He continues the story of his Cannes life by ” and finally BlacKkKlansman, in 2018 – official selection, in competition. He won the grand prize there, which became the launch platform for its worldwide theatrical release (Spike Lee, worked for Netflix, but to make a series there) which resulted in my screenplay Oscar “. The future president ends with: “I am honored to be the first person in the African diaspora (United States) to be appointed president of the Cannes jury, and of a major film festival in general. “
To date, films from sub-Saharan Africa selected for competition can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and, with Lee Daniels (candidate for the Palme d’Or in 2012 with Paperboy), Spike Lee is the only African American to have been selected in competition at Cannes.
Inextinguishable spirit
The 73e Festival de Cannes will take place from May 12 to 23. The composition of the jury will be announced at approximately the same time as the official selection, in mid-April.
There are therefore three months left for Thierry Frémaux, the Festival’s general delegate, to find six members who will not be mere “sparring-partners” in the face of the inextinguishable enthusiasm of the New York filmmaker who drives his commitment as well as his filmmaking, eclectic, as evidenced by the posters adorning the offices of 40 Acres & a Mule, his company located in Brooklyn: Scorsese and Kazan rub shoulders with Fellini.
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