Spike Lee

Filmmaker Spike Lee is coming to William & Mary next month to present the 2016 Atwater Lecture.

The famous director, producer, writer and actor is known for his work on such films as Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X and last year’s Chi-Raq, a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek playLysistrata.

The April 20 event is sponsored by Alma Mater Productions and the William & Mary Student Assembly with support from the Janet and Peter Atwater Lecture Endowment.

Each spring, Alma Mater Productions – the student programming board at William & Mary- tries to bring a well-known speaker to campus as part of the Atwater Lecture series. Last year’s speaker was Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jeffrey Tambor.

Lee was selected for this year’s lecture because of his successful film and television career, as well as his prominence as a celebrity who has “spoken candidly about issues of race in the mainstream media and Hollywood,” according to a recent news release from William & Mary.

Born in Atlanta and raised in Brooklyn, Lee went on to study at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He began his film career with 1986’s She’s Gotta Have It, which grossed more than $7 million at the box office.

Since that time, Lee has produced or directed numerous additional movies, written dozens of screenplays and appeared both on the big screen and television.

Lee’s lecture is slated for April 20 at William & Mary Hall. The event begins at 7 p.m. and doors open at 6 p.m.

Tickets to this event are free for faculty, staff and students with valid William & Mary identification.

Limited seating will also be available at $10 a ticket for members of the general public. Tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. Monday through the Tribe Ticket Office. Click here for information.