Silverdocs 2008: Spike Lee Embarasses Self

Festival coverage sponsored by Indiepix.

Friday is looming in Silver Spring, Maryland as the 6th edition of America's top documentary festival hits its big weekend.  Already, numerous filmmakers and industry types have filed through the doors of the Silver Theatre and the Discovery Channel world headquarters looking at films and discussing the state of nonfiction circa June 2008.  Tonight, all eyes were on the Silver as Spike Lee deigned to be feted at the Guggenheim Symposium and to generally act too big for the room.  Ah, Clint Eastwood, you're in good company, the way many feel about Spike Lee after tonight.

As our pal Karina Longworth relates, Lee was basically incommunicado when asked by ace Denver Post film writer Lisa Kennedy to speak about his work in nonfiction:

"Spike Lee physically showed up to accept the Guggenheim Honor from the SilverDocs film festival tonight, but mentally, for much of the evening, he seemed to be elsewhere. Maybe his recent squabbles with Clint Eastwood have taken a toll, but when asked to talk about his non-fiction films by Denver Post film critic Lisa Kennedy, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker was virtually unresponsive."

Karina notes that two subjects drew Lee out of his condescending stupor - the inferiority (yet box office supremacy) of Tyler Perry and the pending election featuring Barack Obama:

"He went on to drop the news that his longtime editor Sam Pollard has been filming Obama throughout the primary season and has already captured 1,000 hours of footage for a documentary being produced by Edward Norton. When Kennedy began a question with the phrase, “If Obama’s gonna become president…”, Lee interrupted. “There is no if! It changes everything…it’s gonna be Before Obama, and After Obama. And I’m gonna be at that inauguration, too.”

Despite the fact that Lee announced that he has two documentaries pending, both basketball related - a ZIDANE: A 21ST CENTURY PORTRAIT retread about Kobe Bryant and a film about Michael Jordan's last year in Chicago - much of the talk in Silver Spring after his gala symposium focused on what an obstinate interview he was.

Such is the risk when festivals levy a big name like Spike Lee, who apparently couldn't care less about relating his own experience as a filmmaker of fiction and nonfiction titles to filmmakers young and old.  It's funny that a man who made his career on exploiting the racial divides of late 20th century America feels that he can hitch his wagon to a politician that is so purposefully rejecting those divisions, but it's unseemly that someone so blessed with patrons like HBO and other major studios, would pull a high and mighty act on filmmakers who might have hoped to learn something from him.

Comments

[NK]

I attended the Guggenheim Symposium and was disappointed that Silverdocs seemed to underscore the "racial divide" by having an African-American woman interview Spike Lee. All of the other Q&A's I've attended at this year's festival have been moderated by white women and men--no matter the background of the filmmaker. (This is NOT a critique of the abilities of these particular moderators.)

Could it be possible that Lee felt humbled by the experience? That contrary to what soundbites seem to suggest, he's quite reserved and thoughtful? That the questions Kennedy asked did not merit more than one or two word answers? If anything, Kennedy embarrassed herself--especially after giving such a heartfelt introduction.

[Sujewa]

Looking forward to that Miracle at St. Anna & Spike Lee's time travel researcher/scientist movie.

- Sujewa

[Giles J. Harding]

Pretty sure Spike Lee would have had a lot of, if not all of the, say in who was interviewing him... it's possible that he was the sole accentuator there...

After the very enthusiastic but ultimately undeserving Jonathan Demme, it was interesting to see a polar opposite - an unenthusiastic but ultimately deserving recipient get this honor. I hope the festival organizers are now comfortable enough with the name recognition to select Albert Maysles or somebody of that ilk who may not be a great general audience draw but have a significant conversation about filmmaking.

[Yance]

FYI a black woman interviewed Demme at last years' symposium, she may be the regular interviewer for this event.