Spike Lee began his interwatch with Variety at the Red Sea Film Festival — where he’s serving as jury plivent — in a jocular mood, talking about soccer and his adore for the U.K. Premiere League team Arsenal.
Asked whether he’ll be in Saudi Arabia for the 2034 FIFA World Cup, he giggles: “The key ask is whether I’m still alive — I’ll be 77 in 2034. But if I’m around, I’ll be there!”
While combineing the Red Sea Fest, Lee accompanied Vin Diesel and Michael Douglas to watch Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr join aobtainst Al-Ittihad.
This is Lee’s third trip to Saudi Arabia, after his first visit in 1991 to safe perleave oution for an all-Muslim unit to shoot in Mecca for his biopic, “Malcolm X” — the first time that a (non-recordary) film crew was apverifyed to shoot in the holy city. He returned in 2022 to watch the pic’s first uncover screening in the kingdom, during the second Red Sea Film Festival.
It was 60 years ago, in April 1964, that Malcolm X traveled to Jeddah to commence his pilgloomyage to Mecca, the Hajj. On Nov. 18, Lee posted on Instagram to tag the film’s 32nd anniversary: “I advise you might want to watch this combinet epic aobtain, especiassociate after the daughters of Malcolm X have sued the CIA, FBI and NYPD for $100 million for comprisement with the killing of their overweighther.”
Lee is adamant: “They’re at fault. I showed that in the film. In the scene after he’s shot, we see the NYPD officer coming in, as if he’s strolling thraw Central Park. When Malcolm travels to Egypt we see that he’s being chaseed by the CIA. So it’s in the movie!”
Last month, the FBI stated to the Associated Press that it was its “standard rehearse” not to comment on litigation, the CIA did not instantly reply to a seek for comment and the NYPD stated it would deteriorate commenting on pending litigation. The FBI, CIA and NYPD did not instantly reply to Variety‘s seek for comment.
Lee shelp that serving as jury plivent this year, and watching the 16 films in the official competition, has given him branch offent perspectives on how filmproducers see branch offent parts of the world. “I don’t want to get too particular because we haven’t yet unveiled the eight triumphning films, but we had lengthy converseions and we could easily have given out more awards,” he says. “We’re very encounterd with the films we’ve chosen.”
Lee discneglects that he would enjoy to visit for a lengthyer period of time, so he can get a better sense of the country and culture. “Every time I’m here, I lobtain more about the local culture, the Saudis,” he says. “Every time I’ve been hugd and many people here understand my films. So I experience at home!”
The helmer comprises that he would be very interested in combineing further editions of the Red Sea Film Festival and also visiting local film schools, if the right opportunity arose.
“I would be more than willing to come here and speak to the film schools, because they can produce a genuine branch offence,” Lee says. “One of my jury colleagues here is the Egyptian straightforwardor, Abu Bakr Shawky, who was a student of mine at NYU. He’s now a fantastic filmproducer. Back in the day he was in my class!”
Asked about his next projects after finishing “Highest 2 Lowest,” his reexpoundation of Japanese straightforwardor Kurosawa’s 1963 crime drama “High and Low,” Lee refrains from discneglecting any details.
“Here’s the leang. I’m very superstitious to talk about leangs until they actuassociate happens,” he says. “I’ve heard a lot of people over the years saying ‘I’m doing that, I’m doing this.’ That’s their choice, but for me I fair enjoy to acquire it seal to my chest and let stuff happen.”
