NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM
Spike Lee has spoken out against the decision to reopen cinemas in Georgia, USA despite the ongoing spread of coronavirus globally.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp sparkes controversy after recently announced that he would be relaxing quarantine restrictions and reopening select non-essential businesses, such as cinemas, beginning April 27.
The BlackKklansman director made it clear that he doesn’t support the decision in a statement shared with Vanity Fair.
He said that the focus should be on testing people for the virus and not on re-opening cinemas.
“Open Movie Theatres Now? Hell To Da Naw,” Lee wrote. “I Got Alot More Movies To Make, Not Rollin’ Da Dice Wit’ Da Only Life I Got. TESTING. TESTING And Mo’ TESTING (sic).”
This comes after Lee has been named President of the Jury at the 73rd Festival de Cannes, which was meant to take place from 12 to 23 May 2020.
Due to the travel restrictions amid the pandemic, Cannes has been postponed, but Lee’s appointment remains historic as the first black head of the jury.
On his appointment, Lee said in a statement: “In this life I have lived, my biggest blessings have been when they arrived unexpected, when they happened out of nowhere. When I got the call that I was offered the opportunity to be President of Cannes Jury for 2020, I was shocked, happy, surprised and proud all at the same time.
“To me the Cannes Film Festival (besides being the most important film festival in the world – no disrespect to anybody) has had a great impact on my film career. You could easily say Cannes changed the trajectory of who I became in world cinema.”
The festival was initially looking at postponing until the end of June but organisers have now said the event is unlikely to happen this year.
The post Spike Lee calls out plans to reopen cinemas during coronavirus: “Hell To Da Naw” appeared first on NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM.
