Spike Lee to speak on campus

Influential filmmaker Spike Lee will give a free lecture at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at the IU Auditorium after being presented with a "Distinguished Achievement" award by the Black Film Center/Archive and the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies.\nIt's Lee's first trip back to Bloomington in 10 years.\n"There's a lot of excitement," Mzilikazi Koné, Union Board director of lectures, said in a statement. "Students want to see him as much as they wanted to see him 10 years ago. This will be one of the most interesting lectures we will be presenting."\nThe award is to recognize Lee's achievements in his film-making career, focusing attention on the social aspects he touches upon and how his work has touched aspiring film producers.\nLee, an Atlanta native who was raised in Brooklyn, is known for such films as Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing and Bamboozled. He has also appeared in and produced numerous documentaries, commercials and music videos for artists such as Michael Jackson, Tracy Chapman and Miles Davis.\n"All of his films have different messages and they're great for social commentary," said Union Board Destination Director Carlo Rouse. "His movies touch on different aspects of life and while they're entertaining, they have a message and people gain from that. Students can talk about that."\nBloomington resident Derrick Johnson said Lee's films bring important controversial issues into the spotlight.\n"Overall, he shows the black community, and everyone for that matter, how you can come from nowhere and go somewhere," Johnson said. "I love him. He's a real positive role model, not just for blacks but for everybody.\n"His films might be biased, but he tries to show that there's two sides to every story."\nTickets for the event are available free to students, faculty and staff starting 10 a.m. Friday at the IU Auditorium box office and the Students Activities Desk on the first floor of the IMU. There will be a limit of four tickets per person upon presenting an IU identification card. For the general public, tickets will be available Tuesday, Oct. 8.\nFor more information, those interested can visit the Union Board office, room 270 of the IMU Student Activities Tower or visit www.ub.indiana.edu.