Victoria Will/AP
Updated 1627 GMT (0027 HKT) March 12, 2022
Victoria Will/AP
The Directors Guild of America is honoring Spike Lee this weekend during its annual awards show.
The 64-year-old Lee will become the first Black director to receive the guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction.
“Icon. Trailblazer. Visionary. Spike Lee has changed the face of cinema, and there is no single word that encapsulates his significance to the craft of directing,” Directors Guild President Lesli Linka Glatter said in January. “From his groundbreaking “Do the Right Thing,” “BlacKkKlansman” and everything in-between, to his signature ‘double dolly’ shot, Spike is an innovator on so many levels. His bold and passionate storytelling over the past three decades has masterfully entertained as it held a stark mirror to our society and culture.”
In the Guild’s 86-year history, just 35 directors have received this lifetime achievement award. Past winners include Steve Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and Orson Welles. The most recent winner was Ridley Scott in 2017.
