Spike Lee won his first-ever Oscar Sunday night for Best Adapted Screenplay for “BlacKkKlansman,” a long-awaited achievement in a film career spanning decades. He also is nominated for Best Director.
An ecstatic Lee jumped into presenter Samuel L. Jackson’s arms when he took the stage.
Previously, the Brooklyn-raised Lee had only received a Best Screenplay nod for “Do The Right Thing” in 1990 and a Best Documentary Feature nomination in 1998 for “4 Little Girls.” He won neither, but received an honorary award in 2015 for being “a champion of independent film and an inspiration to young filmmakers.”
When Ryan Seacrest asked Lee, during E!’s red carpet coverage before the ceremony, if those slights were “water under the bridge,” the director replied, “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“BlacKkKlansman” was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Adam Driver), Best Director (Lee), Score and Editing.
*Did anyone else feel Samuel L. Jackson on a spiritual level in this moment!! <3
Lee used the moment to rip President Trump and talk about the 2020 election. “Make the moral choice between love versus hate,” he said. “Let’s do the right thing!”
February 24, 2019 | 10:33pm | Updated
Lee used the moment to rip President Trump and talk about the 2020 election. “Make the moral choice between love versus hate,” he said. “Let’s do the right thing!”
February 24, 2019 | 10:33pm | Updated
Published on Aug 17, 2018
Director Spike Lee discusses the modern-day relevance of "BlacKkKlansman," his film based on the true story of a black police officer who infiltrated the KKK in the 1970s.