News: Page (1) of 1 - 04/23/08

Spike Lee to be honored at Silverdocs film fest

By Bernard Woodall

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Spike Lee, the Oscar-nominated director of "Do the Right Thing," will be honored at this year's Silverdocs film festival for his documentary work including "When the Levees Broke," on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, organizers said on Wednesday.

Lee will screen excepts from his documentary works and discuss his career on June 19 at the Charles Guggenheim Symposium, which recognizes top documentary filmmakers and is a centerpiece of the June 16-23 festival.

The festival in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring is organized by the American Film Institute and Discovery Communications, and has become a major showcase for documentary movies.

The Silverdocs announcement said Lee was selected for his telling of stories "that challenge America's consciousness of social injustice."

"His deep commitment to telling stories of the African American experience has resulted in numerous nonfiction films," it said.

Among them are the Peabody-winning "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts," the Oscar-nominated "4 Little Girls," about the Birmingham, Alabama church bombings in 1963, and "We Wuz Robbed," about the 2000 presidential election recount in Florida.

(Reporting by Randall Mikkelsen; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

(c) Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

Page: 1

Related Keywords:ENTERTAINMENT , LEE ,