Spike Lee Picked the Knicks, and Now He's Hosting a Brooklyn Festival
Filmmaker Spike Lee is hosting a two-day festival in Brooklyn, and it opens with one of his own film projects. The event, Playback: The Brooklyn Watch Party, takes place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, according to Variety.
The festival kicks off on Nov. 6 with a special screening of "Crooklyn." The screening will be followed by a talkback with Lee, his sisters Joie and Cinqué, and stars Alfre Woodard and Zelda Harris. Joie and Cinqué Lee wrote the screenplay.
Playback also includes film screenings, pop-up activations and a free street fair. Lee's production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, is based in Fort Greene.
Lee is also a famous basketball fan, and he has made a bold call of his own this year. He predicted the New York Knicks' championship in a New York Times opinion piece. The Knicks went on to win their first NBA title in 53 years, beating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in the finals, Reuters reported. The team's previous championship came in 1973.
In his interview with Variety, Lee talked about more than basketball. He said he is praying the Knicks do not visit the Trump White House. Team owner James Dolan is the person who decides where the club goes, so that prayer is aimed at a choice Dolan would make. Lee also discussed the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. merger and said he has been harassed for his pro-Palestinian views.
Lee's comments on the White House and the merger are his own views, reported by Variety. Playback itself is a festival of film and street life, with a free fair open to the public, and its opening night is built around a 1990s film about growing up in Brooklyn. The talkback on Nov. 6 will put the filmmaker and several of the film's makers in one room.
For fans of Lee's work, the schedule is the main news. For Brooklyn residents, the free street fair is the detail to note. Anyone who wants the full programme should check the Brooklyn Academy of Music's listings.
