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Spike Lee will become the first Black filmmaker to receive the Directors Guild of America’s highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction.
Directors Guild of America President Lesli Linka Glatter announced the news in a Wednesday press release, also sharing that Lee will receive the honors at the 74th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, March 12, 2022.
Glatter additionally praised Lee’s impact on the film industry in a statement following her announcement:
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. 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.
Prior to this year, the award, which recognizes “extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema,” has never gone to a Black director. The Guild did, however, recognize Lee in 2002 with a DGA Honor for his “distinguished contributions to our nation’s culture in support of filmmaking.”
Lee will join a roster of 35 directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, Akira Kurosawa, Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, and Ridley Scott.
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