February 7, 1996
Contact: Kelly C. Lockhart, (615) 322-2706
Filmmaker Spike Lee to speak at Vanderbilt
It hasn't been very many years since Spike Lee was making amateur films
for mass communication classes. Now, the African- American film director
is anything but amateur.
Lee will expound on his life and career when he speaks at Vanderbilt University's
Langford Auditorium Monday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. Lee is being brought to
campus by the University Speakers Committee and is part of the University's
Black History Month observation.
Admission is free to Vanderbilt faculty, staff and students and is $5 for
the public. Tickets must be obtained in advance and are available at all
Ticketmaster outlets.
Lee was in college when he discovered filmmaking. Returning home to Brooklyn
from Morehouse College during summer break, he found himself without a job
and with a Super-8 movie camera, which he had bought to help him with his
school studies.
A mass communication major, he decided to shoot some film at home so that
he'd have material to work with when he got back to campus in the fall.
That "film" turned into an all-summer shooting, and Lee ended
up making a film called "Last Hustle in Brooklyn." It was from
that point and place that his love of cinema began.
Lee's film directorial credits include "She's Gotta Have It" (1986),
"School Daze" (1988), "Do the Right Thing" (1989), "Mo'
Better Blues" (1990), "Jungle Fever" (1991), "X"
(1992), "Crooklyn" (1994) and "Clockers" (1995).
Lee is known for his striking style and uncompromising and outspoken view
of society. In his movies, he creates a world where there aren't easy answers,
where characters have many sides to their personalities, and where it's
essential to understand all of those facets before beginning to deal with
the underlying truth.
The University Speakers Committee is a group of 10 students which typically
draws three to four nationally-known speakers to Vanderbilt each year. The
committee most recently brought to campus Capt. James Lovell, Apollo 13
commander, and Dave Thomas, Wendy's founder.
Langford Auditorium is on Vanderbilt's campus at the end of Garland Avenue,
off 25th Avenue South.
For more news about Vanderbilt, visit the News and Public Affairs home page
on the World Wide Web at http://WWW.Vanderbilt.edu/news/
-VU-
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This document last updated Jan. 9, 1997