Reel Urban News Exclusive
“The power of an image is never going to fade.” Spike Lee
“When I write scripts I use Moleskine books,” explained Spike Lee, speaking exclusively with Reel Urban News on the eve of the re-release of his seminal film She’s Gotta Have It and in celebration with Moleskine, commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the film with a limited edition release of its signature notebook.
Lee, winner of the Academy Honorary Award in 2015, provided the backstory of how he and Moleskine teamed up for the She’s Gotta Have It 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Notebook. “I approached Moleskine on the humble and they said yes.”
Released in 1986, She’s Gotta Have It chronicles the dating life of Nola Darling, an upwardly mobile single woman living in Brooklyn and navigating relationships with a trio of men at once. “I think Nola Darling was ahead of her time, juggling three men at the time – she fits right into today.”
Lee is acclaimed as one of the premiere African American filmmakers for his work in revolutionizing Modern Black Cinema. As Artistic Director of New York University’s Graduate Film Program at Tisch School of the Arts, Lee encourages his students to use the Moleskine Notebook in their work.
“It depends on your mental makeup. When you wake up in the morning or when you go to bed at night you should have a journal and write. Get the work ethic to where you’ve got to write.”
Michael Reel of Reel Urban News sat down with the legendary filmmaker in West Hollywood at Book Soup, an independent bookstore that is the “cultural fixture” of the Sunset Strip. “I’m so happy to be here at Book Soup because I’ve done several book signings here,” said Lee. “It gives me the chance to interact with my people out here on the left coast. It’s all good.”
At the conclusion of our interview with Lee, we discussed the importance of African Americans telling their own stories. “I’ve been saying that for years. You saw what happened this past year with the Academy, you saw what happened since then. There is an evolution of color and women – so the power of an image is never going to fade.”
