Spike Lee’s Essential Film List: Every Film A Filmmaker Must Watch

Spike Lee’s Essential Film List for Filmmakers. Spike Lee’s List of Essential Films is a film list he gives to his graduate students at the New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts at the beginning of the semester. The list is accompanied by a video by Spike Lee where he explains his list, the reasoning behind it, and why he believes the films on it are important. The list includes films from directors Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, David Lean, Frederico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Woody Allen, and many more.

Spike Lee’s List of Essential Films:

Spike Lees List of Essential Films

Spike Lees List of Essential Films

On Spike Lee:

Shelton Jackson “Spike” Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983.

Lee’s movies have examined race relations, colorism in the black community, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. Lee has won numerous awards, including an Emmy Award. He has also received two Academy Award nominations.

Lee’s thesis film, Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, was the first student film to be showcased in Lincoln Center’s New Directors New Films Festival.

In 1985, Lee began work on his first feature film, She’s Gotta Have It. With a budget of $175,000, he shot the film in two weeks. When the film was released in 1986, it grossed over $7,000,000 at the U.S. box office.

Watch the Spike Lee video below and leave your thoughts on it and his list below in the comments section. For more Spike Lee photos, videos, and information, visit our Spike Lee Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, or “like” on Facebook.

Source: Theplaylist, Wikipedia