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" People sometimes forget all the films that we've done. They remember the likes of 'Malcolm X' and 'Do the Right Thing.' But I've been working since 1986. From the beginning, I was determined to not just be a flash in the pan. I've got to keep up with Woody Allen. He's lapping me. "

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" I don't get tripped up in technology. I use technology as a tool. 'Oldboy' we shot Two Pro 35mm. For 'Da Blood of Jesus,' we shot digitally. We shot the new Sony F55. It's a 4K camera. "

Spike Lee

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Two

" I don't dictate, you don't dictate to Stevie Wonder, not successfully. "

" My cousin Malcolm Lee is also a filmmaker. "

" I had a great education. From kindergarten to John Dewey High School in Coney Island, I am public-school educated. "

" 'Do the Right Thing' was my first union film. I looked at the rosters, and for the most part, it was white males. Especially the Teamsters. So we had some conversations. "

" People of color have a constant frustration of not being represented, or being misrepresented, and these images go around the world. "

" I knew I was never going to play professional sport, but I loved playing and I went to all the games I could afford to. "

" For me, I believe in God, God is real. "

" It has been my observation that parents kill more dreams than anybody. "

" Violence is a part of America. I don't want to single out rap music. Let's be honest. America's the most violent country in the history of the world, that's just the way it is. We're all affected by it. "

" Making films has got to be one of the hardest endeavors known to humankind. "

" I've been blessed with the opportunity to express the views of black people who otherwise don't have access to power and the media. I have to take advantage of that while I'm still bankable. "

" Amongst black people, you have always heard it said that once a black man reaches a certain level, especially if you are an entertainer, you get a white trophy woman. I didn't make that up. "

" A lot of times you get credit for stuff in your movies you didn't intend to be there. "

" I'm riding my man Obama. I think he's a visionary. Actually, Barack told me the first date he took Michelle to was 'Do the Right Thing.' I said, Thank God I made it. Otherwise you would have taken her to 'Soul Man.' Michelle would have been like 'What's wrong with this brother?' "

" I am a hybrid. I do independent films and also do Hollywood films - I love them both. "

Spike Lee

Independent

Hollywood

" We grew up in a very creative environment and were exposed to the arts at a very young age, so it's not a surprise that all of us are in some form of the arts. "

" Any film I do is not going to change the way black women have been portrayed, or black people have been portrayed, in cinema since the days of D.W. Griffith. "

" I tend to favour films that have multiple plot and story lines, multiple characters and ensemble pieces. "

" First of all, what in this world does not revolve around money? But money is a big part of film, unlike a lot of other art forms. "

" Since the days of slavery, if you were a good singer or dancer, it was your job to perform for the master after dinner. "

" I used the principles of Kickstarter to make 'She's Gotta Have It.' We filmed that in 1985 to 1986. The final cost was $175,000. I didn't have that money. It was friends, grants, donations. We saved our bottles for the nickel deposit. "

" 'She's Gotta Have It' and 'School Daze,' I really didn't know what I was doing. And the biggest indicator of that was the acting. 'Do the Right Thing' was like the first film where I really felt comfortable working with actors. "

" If we became students of Malcolm X, we would not have young black men out there killing each other like they're killing each other now. Young black men would not be impregnating young black women at the rate going on now. We'd not have the drugs we have now, or the alcoholism. "

" I respect the audience's intelligence a lot, and that's why I don't try to go for the lowest common denominator. "

Spike Lee

Respect

Intelligence

" I think my work shows that I love women. I understand where these types of criticisms are coming from because black people have been so dogged out in the media, they're just extra sensitive. "

" You have to do the research. If you don't know about something, then you ask the right people who do. "

" I don't like acting; not in front of the camera. "

" It comes down to this: black people were stripped of our identities when we were brought here, and it's been a quest since then to define who we are. "

" I'm just trying to tell a good story and make thought-provoking, entertaining films. I just try and draw upon the great culture we have as a people, from music, novels, the streets. "