Spike Lee Will Become First Black Director to Be Honored With Lifetime Achievement Award at 2022 Directors Guild of America Awards
The accolades and acknowledgments keep coming for the New York Knicks’ biggest fan! Filmmaker and esteemed director Spike Lee has another award being bestowed upon him this year.
The Directors Guild of America will be presenting the proud Brooklyn, New Yorker with the Guild’s top honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction. This makes Lee the very first Black person to be given this honor by The Directors Guild of America.
The DGA Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction recognizes extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema.
“Icon. Trailblazer. Visionary. Spike Lee has changed the face of cinema, and there is no single word that encapsulates his significance to the craft of directing,” said President Lesli Linka Glatter in a written statement. “From his groundbreaking Do the Right Thing, BlacKkKlansman, and everything in-between – to his signature ‘double dolly’ shot, Spike is an innovator on so many levels. His bold and passionate storytelling over the past three decades has masterfully entertained, as it held a stark mirror to our society and culture. And while he is no stranger to huge commercial success, he is also the beating heart of independent film. Even as countless filmmakers call Spike their mentor and inspiration, he continues to devote his time to teaching future generations how to make their mark. We are thrilled to present Spike with the DGA’s highest honor.”
Lee will receive this award when it is presented at the 74th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, March 12, 2022.
In 2018, Lee’s critically acclaimed hit feature film BlacKkKlansman resulted in him earning a DGA Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film. In 2021, his directed version of David Byrne’s American Utopia, which was also released by HBO in 2020 earned him a DGA Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials.
The director will be the 36th person to be acknowledged with this award from the Directors Guild of America.
