American filmmaker Spike Lee, known as a political and artistic firebrand, has been awarded the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker 2012 award to be given on Friday, August 31 at the Venice International Film Festival. The award honors innovators in contemporary cinema. Lee’s Michael Jackson documentary BAD 25 will screen after the awards ceremony. The film marks the 25th anniversary of the King of Pop’s record-breaking hit album Bad. Lee, who is currently represented on Broadway as the director of the unusual one-man show starring former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, is best known for his gritty urban dramas including DO THE RIGHT THING (1989), MALCOLM X (1992), THE 25TH HOUR (2002) and INSIDE MAN (2006).
