Ten days ago Spike Lee launched a campaign on Kickstarter.com to raise $1.25 million for an unknown upcoming film. There is no doubt that although the filmmaker drew support for his cause, the move has also created a lot of controversy. Some people are concerned the director’s status would cannibalize the donations meant for smaller, less-funded filmmakers.
Spike is known for reacting fiercely to public criticism, so when he appeared on Bloomberg’s Smart Street, where host Trish Reegan used her introduction to attack him out of the gate — claiming that there are calls for Spike Lee to end his Kickstarter campaign and accusing the director of having the funds to finance the picture himself — Lee’s response was heated.
“I’ve been doing kick starting before there was Kickstarter,” snapped the moviemaker.
Take a look at Lee’s feisty response in its entirety in the video above.
After 19 days Spike Lee is on pace to meet his goal, pulling in over $500,000 at the time of this post. There’s just under three weeks to go. Do you think he will make it?
Meanwhile, another big-time Hollywood star has come out in support of Spike. In the video below, Matthew McConaughey voices his love for Lee’s work, particularly, Malcolm X. Check it out.
