Influential Filmmaker Next In Distinguished Speakers Series

January 14, 2003
University Park, Pa. -- Spike Lee, one of Hollywood's most influential filmmakers, is the next speaker in Penn State's Distinguished Speakers Series on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m. in Eisenhower Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required.

Tickets are available to students attending the University Park campus Tuesday, Jan. 21. Tickets will be available to faculty, staff and students from other Penn State campuses Wednesday, Jan. 22. The general public may pick up any remaining tickets beginning Thursday, Jan. 23, on a first-come, first-served basis. The Eisenhower box office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Limited tickets might also be available the night of the speech.

Lee's debut film, She's Gotta Have It, earned him honors at the Cannes Film festival in 1986 and set him at the forefront of the Black New Wave in American Cinema. Other Spike Lee films include Do The Right Thing, Jungle Fever, Mo' Better Blues, Malcom X, Clockers, Crooklyn, Bamboozled, Girl 6, Get on the Bus, The Original Kinds of Comedy, Summer of Sam and He Got Game. His most recent work, 25th Hour, was released in December. 

Lee also has produced many award-winning music videos, television commercials and documentaries. Additionally, he has written six books on the making of his films; the fifth book, Five for Five, served as a pictorial reflection of his first five features. He co-authored his most recent book, Best Seat in the House: A Basketball Memoir (1997), with Ralph Wiley.

The Distinguished Speakers Series is sponsored by the University Park Allocation Committee, coordinated by the Distinguished Speakers Series Committee and the Office of Student Activities, and funded by student activity fees. For more information, contact the Office of Student Activities at (814) 863-3786.

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Contact: Allison Kessler (akessler@psu.edu), Department of Public Information, at (814) 865-7517.