In 1974, Leon Gast traveled to Africa to film Zaïre 74, a music festival planned to accompany an unprecedented sports spectacle: the Rumble in the Jungle, in which late-career underdog Muhammad Ali would contend with the younger powerhouse George Foreman for the boxing heavyweight championship title—“a fight between two blacks in a black nation, organized by blacks,” as a Kinshasa billboard put it. When the main event was delayed, extending Ali’s stay in Africa, Gast wound up amassing a treasure trove of footage, observing the wildly charismatic athlete training for one of the toughest bouts of his career while basking in his role as black America’s proud ambassador to postcolonial Africa. Two decades in the making, WHEN WE WERE KINGS features interviews with Norman Mailer and George Plimpton that illustrate the sensational impact of the fight, rounding out an Academy Award–winning portrait of Ali that captures his charm, grace, and defiance.

Jackson went from child prodigy to King of Pop catapulted by the success of Off the Wall. This film explores the seminal album with interviews and footage from those who helped create it and those whose lives it impacted with its success and legacy.

David Byrne's American Utopia brings the Talking Heads front man's critically acclaimed Broadway show to a one-of-a-kind film directed by Oscar® and Emmy®-winner Spike Lee. Recorded during its late 2019 to early 2020 run at Broadway's Hudson Theatre in New York City, Byrne is joined by an ensemble of 11 musicians, singers, and dancers from around the globe, inviting audiences into a joyous dream world where human connection, self-evolution, and social justice are paramount. The special includes performances of songs from Byrne's 2018 solo album of the same name, in addition to popular Talking Heads favorites such as "Once in a Lifetime" and "Burning Down the House." The musical numbers accompanied with brief monologues allows Byrne to address various sociopolitical topics from police brutality, immigration, climate change to the 2020 presidential election.

Director Spike Lee delivers a bitingly satirical look at current television in the United States, revealing a network and an audience that have been Bamboozled. Frustrated when his ideas for a TV series about real African Americans are rejected, Harvard-educated black writer Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans) angrily creates a show--a modern-day minstrel show--so offensive that no network would dare to air it. But the show is produced and becomes a surprise hit, leaving the writer to face the fury of his assistant Sloan Hopkins (Jada Pinkett-Smith) and the entire black community.

Hilariously high-energy comedian/rapper/actor Katt Williams returns for this stand-up comedy special directed by Spike Lee. Taped at Citizen’s Bank Arena in Ontario, California as part of his nationwide “Growth Spurt” tour, the show features Katt’s unique, uproarious takes on a number of mainstream and taboo topics.

A documentary presenting the live recording of Aretha Franklin's album Amazing Grace at The New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972.

The Legend of AJ1 explores the dynamic journey of the Air Jordan 1 from its unlikely beginnings to its role in disrupting long- established rules of the NBA, changing the game of basketball, birthing sneaker culture and influencing a social and Cultural Revolution. Highlighting icons from across the cultural spectrum — including Spike Lee, Anthony Anderson, Michael B. Jordan, DJ Khaled, Lena Waithe, Kenya Barris, Jason Sudeikis, NBA stars Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook, hip-hop legend Chuck D, as well as rising stars Gizzle, Christian Combs, and Kid Ink, and many more — the film takes a raw and riveting look at a movement that so heavily shaped the culture in which we live.

ROCK RUBBER 45s is a cinematic odyssey exploring the connectivity of global basketball, sneaker, and music lifestyle through the firsthand lens of authentic NYC culture orchestrator Bobbito García. The film explores García’s youth dealing with mistreatment, educational quandaries, identity, and loss, as well as his ascension to self-determination as an adult freelance creative. The ballplayer, author, DJ, filmmaker has carved an independent career that has inspired millions throughout the world, and has affected the growth and direction of the footwear, hip hop, and sports industries in the process.

From visionary filmmaker Spike Lee comes the incredible true story of an American hero. In the early 1970s, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) becomes the first African-American detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a difference, he bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. He recruits a seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), into the undercover investigation. Together, they team up to take down the extremist organization aiming to garner mainstream appeal. Produced by the team behind the Academy Award®–winning Get Out, BlacKkKlansman offers an unflinching, true-life examination of race relations in 1970s America that is just as relevant in today's tumultuous world.

In this unique film, Dennis Hopper sends Hermann Vaske on a mission around the world to find out about the crossover between creative disciplines, and how this is changing the creative and commercial arts. With insights from Tony Scott, Spike Lee, Paul Arden, and Harvey Keitel this film shows the proximity between advertising, art, and film.

More than just a sports documentary, CHAMPS explores the pursuit of the American Dream through boxing and paints a picture of a controversial and unregulated sport in a moment of crisis. Built around the stories of heavyweight legends Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Bernard Hopkins - who open up about their lives and careers as never seen before - CHAMPS weaves their uncensored recollections with classic fight footage and candid interviews with Mark Wahlberg, Denzel Washington, Ron Howard, Spike Lee, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent. Boxing has long given kids from America’s roughest neighborhoods the opportunity to escape violence with violence. But in a sport where careers are made and broken in the blink of an eye, and whose athletes are often ill-equipped for the fame and fortune that accompany a title belt, one question remains… What does it take to be a champ?

From Executive Producer Spike Lee. Katie Homes and Luke Kirby star as two poets with bipolar disorder whose art is fueled by their emotional extremes. When they meet in a treatment facility, their chemistry is instant and intense driving each other to new heights. They pursue their passion which breaks outside the bounds of sanity, swinging them from fantastical highs to tormented lows until they ultimately must choose between sanity and love.

A prolific and multi-talented artist, Melvin Van Peebles boasts a life story as provocative and category-defying as the best of his work. A pioneer in film, music, and beyond, Van Peebles made his name with Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, the controversial 1971 feature he self-produced outside of the Hollywood system, indelibly changing the face of independent cinema and launching the Blaxploitation era. Playfully chronicling Van Peebles’ astonishing and unexpected journey comprised of, among a long list of accomplishments, turns as an Air Force pilot, Broadway playwright, French novelist, Wall Street trader and civil rights activist, this award-winning documentary illuminates an artist and man whose groundbreaking impact on film, politics and pop culture remains as relevant as ever.

Rising comedy star Jerrod Carmichael takes to the stage of The Comedy Store in Hollywood, CA for his first HBO stand-up special. Throughout this hilarious hour, Carmichael comically subverts such subjects as poverty, wealth, crime and race and presents his unique take on national tragedies, female empowerment, why talent is more important than morals, and much more.

On September 15, 1963, a bomb destroyed a black church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls who were there for Sunday school. It was a crime that shocked the nation-and a defining moment in the history of America's civil-rights movement. Now, nearly 35 years later, acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee tells the full story of the bombing, through heart-wrenching testimonials from surviving members of the victims' families, insights from Bill Cosby, Walter Cronkite, Andrew Young, Coretta Scott King and many others, and a rare and revealing interview with former Alabama Governor George Wallace.

When it comes to love, Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) has gotta problem: She's just gotta have "it". And she's having a hard time deciding who'll give "it" the best. Choosing between a romantic-but-possessive nice guy (Redmond Hicks), a flashy-but-vain fashion model (John Terrell) and a fast-riding but faster-talking bicyclist (Lee), Nola finds that lessons in love can be enlightening, heart-rending, but mostly... exasperating!

Oldboy follows the story of an advertising executive (Josh Brolin) who is kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement without any indication of his captor's motive. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his bizarre and torturous punishment only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment. His quest for revenge leads him into an ill-fated relationship with a young social worker (Elizabeth Olsen) and ultimately to an illusive man (Sharlto Copley) who allegedly holds the key to his salvation.

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and legendary filmmaker Spike Lee bring Tyson's one-man hit stage show to HBO in this exclusive HBO Films presentation. Enjoy a front-row seat as 'Iron Mike' recounts the highs and lows of his life in his signature candid style. Over the course of 90 minutes, Tyson opens up about his troubled youth, landmark boxing career, key influences, personal and professional controversies, prison, personal loss, and most recently, his rehabilitation and redemption, forged by sobriety and a renewed commitment to family life.

The latest in Spike Lee’s Chronicles of Brooklyn series (which also include SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT, DO THE RIGHT THING, CROOKLYN, CLOCKERS, and HE GOT GAME), RED HOOK SUMMER tells the story of Flik Royale, a sullen young boy from middle-class Atlanta who has come to spend the summer with his deeply religious grandfather, Bishop Enoch Rouse, in the housing projects of Red Hook. Having never met before, things quickly get off on the wrong foot as Bishop Enoch relentlessly attempts to convert Flik into a follower of Jesus Christ. Between his grandfather’s constant preaching and the culture shock of inner-city life, Flik’s summer appears to be a total disaster--until he meets Chazz Morningstar, a pretty girl his age, who shows Flik the brighter side of Brooklyn. Through her love and the love of his grandfather, Flik begins to realize that the world is a lot bigger, and perhaps a lot better, than he’d ever imagined.

When biotech exec Jack (Anthony Mackie, 8 Mile) blows the whistle on his greedy drug-conglomerate bosses (Woody Harrelson, Natural Born Killers, and Ellen Barkin, Sea of Love) over an insider-trading scandal, he gets more than he bargained for. Once this playa is played, he finds himself hitting rock bottom when an old flame, Fatima (Kerry Washington, Save the Last Dance), blows back into his life with the ultimate job offer: father her child, no strings attached. Teaming up to turn the tables on corporate culture, he sets up shop as a stud-for-hire at 10 G's a pop for a bevy of wealthy lesbians. When Jack delivers the goods, even his ex's glamazon gal pals can't resist his considerable...charms. Torn between love and money, Jack chases his American Dream all the way to the bank. But things heat up when Jack impregnates the Mafia daughter (Monica Bellucci, The Matrix Reloaded) of a notorious boss (John Turturro, Secret Window), triggering the FBI to expose Jack's cash-cow scheme.

Innovative filmmaker, Spike Lee (She's Gotta Have It), brings to the screen a music-filled, offbeat contemporary comedy that takes an unforgettable look at black college life. Amidst gala coronations, football, fraternities, parades and parties, the stars of the film-Laurence Fishburne ("Dap" Dunlap), an intense student who encourages his buddies ("DaFellas") to fight for his beliefs; Giancarlo Esposito (Julian "Big Brother Almighty" Eaves), out to strengthen the Greek system with his Gamma PhiGamma fraternity brothers; Spike Lee ("Half-Pint"), driven to become a "Gamma man"; and Tisha Campbell (Jane Toussaint), leader of the sorority, "Gamma Rays," find themselves caught up in romance and relationships/rituals and rivalries during one outrageous homecoming weekend. With dynamic music, including EU's hit "Da Butt", and dance numbers choreographed by Otis Sallid (Fame), Lee successfully challenges viewpoints about self-identity and self-esteem in this original, contemporary musical comedy.

Two ordinary inner-city kids dare to dream the impossible—professional basketball glory—in this epic chronicle of hope and faith. Filmed over a five-year period, Hoop Dreams follows young Arthur Agee and William Gates as they navigate the complex, competitive world of scholastic athletics while striving to overcome the intense pressures of family life and the realities of their Chicago streets. The Criterion Collection is proud to present this landmark documentary chronicling two remarkable families who challenge the American dream.

Part 2 of 2. This Spike Lee documentary event revisits New Orleans five years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Following up on his 2006 Emmy(R)-winning documentary 'When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,' Lee revisits with many of the principals seen in the first film. Opening with the February 2010 Super Bowl parade, the film delves into such issues as relocation, rebuilding, mental-health concerns, the current status of the levees, and the impact on New Orleans of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Part 1 of 2. This Spike Lee documentary event revisits New Orleans five years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Following up on his 2006 Emmy(R)-winning documentary 'When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,' Lee revisits with many of the principals seen in the first film. Opening with the February 2010 Super Bowl parade, the film delves into such issues as relocation, rebuilding, mental-health concerns, the current status of the levees, and the impact on New Orleans of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

It burst onto the Broadway stage as the most explosive and acclaimed new musical of our time, sweeping the major theater awards and electrifying millions. Now two-time Academy Award nominee SPIKE LEE captures all the emotion, humor and full-throttle energy of the groundbreaking rock opera by singer/songwriter STEW in the semi-autobiographical story of a young black man who leaves '70s L.A. for a European odyssey of sex, drugs, rock & roll and redemption. Experience the complete onstage and backstage phenomenon - featuring the original cast - in an unprecedented tour-de-force of creative collaboration and inspiration that will blow you away.

A young African-American couple navigates the tricky paths of romance and athletics in this drama. Quincy McCall and Monica Wright grew up in the same neighborhood and have known each other since childhood. As they grow into adulthood, they fall in love; but they also share another all-consuming passion: basketball. They have followed the game all their lives and have no small amount of talent on the court. As Quincy and Monica struggle to make their relationship work, they follow separate paths though high school and college and, they hope, into stardom in big-league professional ball. Starring Omar Epps (TV's "House"), Sanaa Lathan ("AVP: Alien vs. Predator"), Dennis Haysbert (TV's "The Unit," TV's "24") and Alfre Woodard (TV's "Miss Evers' Boys"). More than just a film about sports, "Love and Basketball" did well on the festival circuit, winning the Humanitas Prize at Sundance, an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and an Image Award for Sanaa Lathan.

It didn't get any hotter than the summer of 1977 in New York City. As temperatures soared well into the hundreds for endless days, the city was seared by its own heat, sweat and energy. With the unrelenting swelter, things started to change in the city and it made everybody a little tense and crazy. Looters poured into the streets as a blackout plunged New York into darkness and fear; a mysterious psychopath began gunning down strangers in the night at random. With trademark virtuosity, filmmaker Spike Lee goes into the throbbing heart of the Bronx during this unbelievable summer to paint a portrait that is both intimate and panoramic. John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, Mira Sorvino and Jennifer Esposito lead an ensemble cast in "Summer of Sam," which chronicles how Son of Sam's plague of terror disintegrated a neighborhood, turned friends against each other and transformed trust into dread. The summer of 1977 turned into the SUMMER OF SAM.

Directed by Spike Lee from a screenplay written by James McBride, the author of the acclaimed novel of the same name, the film chronicles the story of four African American soldiers who are members of the U.S. Army as part of the all black 92nd Buffalo Soldier Division stationed in Tuscany, Italy, during World War II. They experience the tragedy and triumph of the war as they find themselves trapped behind enemy lines and separated from their unit after one of them risks his life to save an Italian boy. Miracle at St. Anna explores a deeply inspiring story that transcends national boundaries, race and class to touch the goodness within us all.

Filmmaker Spike Lee, star Denzel Washington (the New York, Boston and Chicago Film Critics' choice as 1992's Best Actor) and other talents vividly portray the life and times of the visionary leader. "One of the decade's best and most important films." (Arch Campbell, WRC-TV/Washington D.C.) One of the most charismatic and politically controversial voices in history, Malcolm X burst into the public consciousness with a radical perspective on race relations in America. His inspiring and enlightening ideologies touched and continue to influence the lives of millions. The New York Film Critic's Circle awarded Denzel Washington Best Actor for his role in what Newsday calls "an extraordinary movie...powerful and compelling. Denzel Washington's performance is a tour de force!"

Innovative filmmaker, Spike Lee (She's Gotta Have It), brings to the screen a music-filled, offbeat contemporary comedy that takes an unforgettable look at black college life. Amidst gala coronations, football, fraternities, parades and parties, the stars of the film-Laurence Fishburne ("Dap" Dunlap), an intense student who encourages his buddies ("DaFellas") to fight for his beliefs; Giancarlo Esposito (Julian "Big Brother Almighty" Eaves), out to strengthen the Greek system with his Gamma PhiGamma fraternity brothers; Spike Lee ("Half-Pint"), driven to become a "Gamma man"; and Tisha Campbell (Jane Toussaint), leader of the sorority, "Gamma Rays," find themselves caught up in romance and relationships/rituals and rivalries during one outrageous homecoming weekend. With dynamic music, including EU's hit "Da Butt", and dance numbers choreographed by Otis Sallid (Fame), Lee successfully challenges viewpoints about self-identity and self-esteem in this original, contemporary musical comedy.

Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington gives a riveting performance in Spike Lee's breathtaking film on music and love. Talented trumpeter Bleek Gilliam (Washington) is obsessed by his music and indecisiveness about his girlfriends Indigo (Joie Lee) and Clarke (Cynda Williams). But when he is forced to come to the aid of his manager and childhood friend (Spike Lee), Bleek finds his world more fragile that he ever imagined. Stunning cinematography, a rousing score and superlative performances come together in this unforgettable feast for the senses.

A "clocker" is a 24-hour drug dealer, and Strike (Mekhi Phifer) is the hardest-working one on the streets. But for Strike, time is running out. When the local drug kingpin (Delroy Lindo) tips Strike off about an opportunity for advancement, a rival dealer ends up dead, and Strike suddenly finds himself caught between two homicide detectives. One is Mazilli (John Turturro), who's only looking for an easy bust. The other is Rocco (Harvey Keitel), who's looking for something much harder to find - the truth - and when Strike's law-abiding brother confesses to the murder, Rocco vows not to rest until he's sure the real shooter is behind bars. Director Spike Lee, producer Martin Scorsese and writer Richard Price, along with music by Seal, Marc Dorsey, Des'ree and Chaka Khan, deliver a film so riveting, you'll feel it grab you by the collar and toss you into the middle of an urban battlefield, prompting Jeffrey Lyons of Sneak Previews to call it "One of 1995's most powerful films."

This powerful visual feast combines humor and drama with memorable characters while tracing the course of a single day on a block in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. It's the hottest day of the year, a scorching 24-hour period that will change the lives of its residents forever. Danny Aiello co-stars in this absorbing tale of inner-city life that heats up with vivid images and unforgettable performances.

Academy Award®-winner Denzel Washington (Best Actor, 2001, Training Day) stars in this must-see story about a convict given one shot at a second chance to be a father! With promises of a reduced sentence, Jake Shuttlesworth (Washington) is granted temporary release from state prison in order to persuade the nation's top basketball recruit ... his estranged son, Jesus (Ray Allen of NBA's Milwaukee Bucks), to play ball for the governor's alma mater! But just as Jesus faces intense pressures and irresistible temptations contemplating his big decision, Jake is also forced to consider not only what's best for himself ... but what's best for his son! With a groundbreaking soundtrack by the legendary Public Enemy -- plus great cameos from John Turturro and basketball personalities Dick Vitale, John Thompson, Dean Smith, and more, He Got Game is a critically acclaimed hit you don't want to miss!

Academy Award-nominee Edward Norton (Best Actor, 1999, American History X) heads an amazing all-star cast in the critically acclaimed Spike Lee (Summer of Sam, Do the Right Thing) film 25th Hour. In 24 short hours Monty Brogan (Norton) goes to prison for seven long years. Once a king of Manhattan, Monty is about to say good-bye to the life he knew -- a life that opened doors to New York's swankest clubs but also alienated him from the people closest to him. In his last day on the outside, Monty tries to reconnect with his father (Brian Cox, The Bourne Identity), and gets together with two old friends, Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Almost Famous) and Slaughtery (Barry Pepper, The Green Mile). And then there's his girlfriend, Naturelle (Rosario Dawson, Men In Black 2), who might (or might not) have been the one who tipped off the cops. Monty's not sure of much these days, but with time running out, there are choices to be made as he struggles to redeem himself in the 25th hour.