“The last time I was in this room, I was apologizing for the f*ck-up,” filmmaker Spike Lee joked this morning as he walked into the press conference room in Cannes.
The legendary New York filmmaker was referring to 2021, when he served as the Cannes jury president and prematurely announced Titane as the Palme d’Or winner during the closing-night ceremony.
Lee is back here in Cannes with his latest feature, Highest 2 Lowest, a modern “reinterpretation” of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic High and Low, which was itself based on the novel King’s Ransom by Ed McBain. While the original follows a shoe company exec who becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom, the new film, set in contemporary New York City, sees a music mogul played by Denzel Washington contend with a similar plot.
From Apple and A24, the film reunites Lee and Washington for the first time since Inside Man back in 2006. The duo has worked together five times, their credits are including Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, and He Got Game.
‘Highest 2 Lowest’ director Spike Lee, and stars Jeffrey Wright and Ilfenesh Hadera arrive at the #Cannes2025 press conference pic.twitter.com/49OsTCaNHY
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“Denzel and I didn’t know that our previous film, Inside Man, was 18 years ago. We were surprised because it felt like yesterday. But we didn’t miss a step,” Lee said of working with Washington, who received an honorary Palme d’Or before last night’s premiere screening of Highest 2 Lowest.
“I think this is it — five,” Lee added of his collaboration with Washington. “He’s been talking about retirement, even though he’s just done another deal. Five films together, they stand up.”
Director Spike Lee and Denzel Washington shake hands at the premiere of their new movie ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ and Lee shows off his colorful suit #Cannes2025 pic.twitter.com/UDEclmMUuP
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This is Lee’s sixth time in the Cannes Official Selection, and Monday’s premiere marked 36 years to the day since his first appearance with Do the Right Thing. During the presser, Lee was asked about the critical response to that film back in 1989, particularly around critics who said it would cause riots.
Watch Denzel Washington’s speech below #Cannes2025 pic.twitter.com/z20gasMcau
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“I’ve had a great experience with this festival, and the people who had their various opinions about Do The Right Thing had nothing to do with the festival. It was just the press,” Lee said.
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“They said Do the Right Thing would cause riots and Black people would lose their minds,” he added. “They were telling people to hope to God this film didn’t open in their neighborhood. It was pure blatant racism to suggest Black people couldn’t make the distinction between what’s on the screen. They all misread it, and none of them admitted that they f*cked up.”
Highest 2 Lowest was shot across New York, with elaborate action scenes in the Bronx, set against the backdrop of Yankee Stadium. During the presser, Lee was asked about shooting in New York and how he thinks the recent drop in production in the city could be resolved.
“People are hurting, people whose lives are dependent on working in the film industry,” he said. “The guy [Donald Trump] just said he wants to put a tariff on films made outside the United States. I don’t know how that’s gonna work. But I don’t have the answer for that.”
The filmmaker said he simply feels lucky to have been able to shoot several films in New York, adding that he often has pushed back on attempts to make him shoot his New York-based films outside the city.
RELATED: Full List Of Cannes Palme d’Or Winners Through The Years: Photo Gallery
“For Do the Right Thing, they wanted us to shoot that film in Baltimore,” Lee said. “Get the f*ck outta here. We were never doing that.”
Slated to hit select theaters August 22 before arriving on Apple TV+ on September 5, Highest 2 Lowest is written by Alan Fox and Lee. Todd Black produced for Escape Artists, alongside Jason Michael Berman for Mandalay Pictures. Exec producers included Lee for 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, and Mandalay’s Peter Guber, as well as Juniper Productions’ Matthew Lindner, Chris Brigham, and Katia Washington. Mandalay’s Jordan Moldo served as co-producer.
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