Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. Lee has won numerous accolades for his work, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and two Peabody Awards. He has also been honored with an Honorary BAFTA Award in 2002, an Honorary César in 2003, and the Academy Honorary Award in 2015.
The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musicals, short stories, TV series, and even other films and film characters. All sequels are also considered adaptations by this standard.
Jayhawker and red leg are terms that came to prominence in Kansas Territory during the Bleeding Kansas period of the 1850s; they were adopted by militant bands affiliated with the free-state cause during the American Civil War. These gangs were guerrillas who often clashed with pro-slavery groups from Missouri, known at the time in Kansas Territory as "Border Ruffians" or "Bushwhackers". After the Civil War, the word "Jayhawker" became synonymous with the people of Kansas, or anybody born in Kansas. Today a modified version of the term, Jayhawk, is used as a nickname for a native-born Kansan.
Nicholas Turturro Jr. is an American actor. Turturro is best known for his roles in New York City based films and on the television series Blue Bloods and NYPD Blue. He has collaborated with director Spike Lee since the late 1980s, starting with voice work for Do the Right Thing, and playing a supporting role in BlacKkKlansman. Nicholas is the younger brother of John Turturro and the cousin of Aida Turturro.
John David Washington is an American actor and former professional football player. He is the son of actor Denzel Washington. He started his career in college football at Morehouse College and signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Professionally, Washington spent four years as a running back for the United Football League's Sacramento Mountain Lions.
Ninth Street is a 1999 black-and-white drama, written by Kevin Willmott.
Daniel Bilson is an American writer, director, and producer of movies, television, video games, and comic books. Together with his frequent collaborator, Paul De Meo, he is best known as the writer for the film The Rocketeer (1991) and creator, writer, producer and director for the television series Viper, The Sentinel (1996) and The Flash (1990). He has written multiple issues of the comic book The Flash, as well as scripts for multiple video games, including James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (2003). Da 5 Bloods (2020), based on a screenplay written by Bilson & De Meo, was released following De Meo's death.
Isiah Whitlock Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his role as corrupt state senator Clay Davis on the HBO television series The Wire as well as being a frequent collaborator of Spike Lee.
Jeremy Osbern is an American director and director of photography.
Jayhawkers is a 2014 American sports drama/biographical film directed by Kevin Willmott, following the life of Wilt Chamberlain, Phog Allen, and the 1956–57 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team. Former Kansas basketball player Scot Pollard portrays B. H. Born in the film.
Laura Ruth Harrier is an American actress and model. She began modeling at the age of 17 after she was discovered by a location scout. She moved to New York City where she continued modeling and was represented by agencies such as IMG Models and Wilhelmina Models. She modeled for various mainstream magazines, appeared in campaigns for Urban Outfitters, Macy's and Steve Madden, and was the face of Garnier. After appearing in several commercials and student films, Harrier decided to pursue acting and studied at the William Esper Studio. She was first recognized for her role as Destiny Evans in the 2013 one-season reboot of the American soap opera One Life to Live.
BlacKkKlansman is a 2018 American biographical crime comedy drama film directed by Spike Lee and written by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Lee, loosely based on the 2014 memoir Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth. The film stars John David Washington as Stallworth, along with Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, and Topher Grace. In addition, it also marked Harry Belafonte's last feature film before his death in April 2023. Set in the 1970s in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the plot follows the first African-American detective in the city's police department as he sets out to infiltrate and expose the local Ku Klux Klan chapter.
Ron Stallworth is an American retired police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the late 1970s. He was the first African-American detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department.
The nominees for the 15th St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards were announced on December 9, 2018. The winners were announced on December 16, 2018.
Da 5 Bloods is a 2020 American war drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Spike Lee. It stars Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Johnny Trí Nguyễn, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser, Jasper Pääkkönen, Jean Reno, and Chadwick Boseman. The film's plot follows a group of four aging Vietnam War veterans who return to the country in search of the remains of their fallen squad leader, as well as the treasure they buried while serving there.
Stefon Bristol is an American film director and screenwriter. He co-wrote and directed the Netflix time travel film, See You Yesterday, in 2019. Bristol studied at New York University's Graduate Film program, under mentor Spike Lee, who helped produce his debut feature. Bristol also acted as an assistant to Lee, while Lee was filming BlacKkKlansman. Bristol originally shot See You Yesterday as a short, for his thesis film, before expanding it into a feature film. It took five years to complete the film. Bristol received nominations for Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay at the 2020 Independent Spirit Awards. Bristol and Bailey won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and thanked Lee in their acceptance speech.
Marci Rodgers is an American costume designer for film, television and stage. She is best known for her work on Till, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, High Flying Bird and BlacKkKlansman.
BlacKkKlansman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album composed by Terence Blanchard for the 2018 film BlacKkKlansman. It was released by Back Lot Music on August 10, 2018, the same day as the film's theatrical release.
