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Spike Lee is responding to critics of his Kickstarter campaign to fund his latest film project.
In a new YouTube video, Lee addresses criticism from those who argue that the established auteur is eclipsing attempts by younger aspiring directors to crowdfund their films.
“I understand why people might think that, but that’s not the case at all,” says Lee. “I’m bringing people to Kickstarter who’ve never even heard of Kickstarter,” particularly “a lot of people of color.”
He continues: “So I really think that it’s a fallacy, it’s a misconception and it’s plain-out wrong with a capital W that because [a donor] backs my film for $5, that was $5 that a young filmmaker was gonna get. And that logic does not follow through.”
STORY: Spike Lee Launches $1.25 Million Kickstarter Campaign for Next Film
Lee says he’s not surprised by any pushback he gets, mentioning other celebrities who’ve also received flak for using the platform — such as Zach Braff for his Garden State follow-up.
“Why would I be teaching for the last 15 years at NYU if I did not care about filmmakers?” he asks. “Why would I be the artistic director of NYU graduate film school if I did not care about young filmmakers?”
Lee’s friend, Steven Soderbergh, pledged $10,000 toward Lee’s $1.25 million campaign, which launched last week and, so far, has raised $356,333 with 23 more days left to reach the goal. At the moment, Lee has 1,847 backers for the project, which he describes as a “funny,” “sexy” and “bloody” picture about people “who are addicted to blood.”
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