Spike Lee, iconic filmmaker

Spike Lee, the president of Cannes' 2021 jury, is such an iconic director that the film festival included his depiction on the event's official poster. The festival organizers said they dedicated it to Lee "for that curious look he is going to put on the work of his fellow filmmakers."

Nicknamed "Spike" as a child, Shelton Jackson Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1957. His mother was a teacher of arts and Black literature and his father was a jazz musician and composer. The family moved to Brooklyn, New York, when Spike was a young child, and the city would play a central role in many of his films, including in his first student film, "Last Hustle in Brooklyn" (1979).

Spike Lee starred in his own game-changing work, "Do the Right Thing," as pizza delivery man Mookie. The 1989 film about the rise of racial tensions remains relevant three decades after its release; it climaxes with a white policeman killing the character Radio Raheem in a chokehold — reflecting ongoing police violence affecting African Americans, protested by the Black Lives Matter movement.

The director, who often acts in his own films, gave many aspiring young African-American actors the chance to build a film career. Denzel Washington, seen above with Lee in the 1990 drama film "Mo' Better Blues," went on to become a top Hollywood star.

"Jungle Fever" in 1991 also starred actors little known back then, but who are well established today: Wesley Snipes and Halle Berry, the latter with whom Lee had a relationship at the time. The film is about sexual attraction and an interracial relationship.

A year later, Lee's most costly film at the time was released. "Malcolm X" was a summary of everything the director felt was important. Denzel Washington plays the title role in the biopic about the life of the African-American activist, from his troubled childhood and conversion to Islam to his assassination in 1965.

A school teacher, a jazz musician and a bunch of kids — the 1994 film "Crooklyn" is about a family in New York in the 1970s, and clearly has numerous autobiographical elements. The memory of growing up in Brooklyn makes for a humorous and vibrant film.

The 1995 film "Clockers" takes on issues that have always moved Spike Lee: life and survival in neighborhoods riddled with drugs and crime and rocked by ethnic strife. It starred Harvey Keitel, Mekhi Phifer and John Torturro.

Just a year later, the film "Girl 6" tells the story of an aspiring actress who makes a living working for a telephone sex hotline. Short cameo appearances by Quentin Tarantino, Madonna and Naomi Campbell underline Lee's popularity.

Lee focused on another topic of choice in the 1999 film "Summer of Sam," namely the crime scene in New York and conflicts between different gangs. The film, starring Adrien Brody and John Leguizamo, looks at the effect a real 1977 serial murder case had on a fictional group of people in the Bronx.

In "25th Hour," Edward Norton plays a drug dealer who has 24 hours before he goes to jail for seven years — a melancholy look at the transience of life and musings about what is really important. Based on David Benioff's novel, the film happened to be shot shortly before the 9/11 attacks, and was reworked afterward, turning it into a cult tribute to New York City — and one of Lee's best films.

The 2006 thriller "Inside Man" is proof that Spike Lee is also a master of commercial film. The movie about a bank robbery is entertaining, but also addresses issues close to the director's heart.

After "Inside Man," Spike Lee turned to documentaries, advertising films and music videos. Released in 2016, "Off the Wall" is the story of Michael Jackson's early years, before he rose to international stardom.

"Chi-Raq" is a musical drama about gang crime and racism, with women leading a sex strike to get their husbands to stop gang violence in Chicago. The director based his story on the classic drama "Lysistrata" by ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It celebrated its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in 2016.

In "BlacKkKlansman," two police agents, one Jewish and one Black, penetrate the Klu Klux Klan. Spike Lee's 2018 satire is based on a true story from the 1970s — but also references current racial tensions in the US. It won the Grand Prix at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, as well as the Oscar for best adapted screenplay, making it Lee's first competitive Academy Award after an honorary one in 2015.

Four African American veterans return to Vietnam years after the war, searching for the remains of their squad leader. Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods" was released on Netflix in June 2020, as massive protests against police brutality and racism in the US were unfolding. He also released at the time a short film, "3 Brothers," directly commenting on how history keeps repeating itself.

The director is also renowned for his strong sense of fashion. He's shown here at the 2019 Oscars, wearing two knuckle rings that belong to film history: Emblazoned with the words "hate" and "love," the rings were worn by Radio Raheem in Lee's "Do the Right Thing." Raheem's speech about love and hate in the film was also a tribute to the influential thriller "The Night of the Hunter" (1955).