Friday, May 15, 2015

Spike Lee Defends Title of New Film ‘Chiraq,’ says Critics ‘Know Nothing About the Film’



Spike Lee Defends Title of New Film ‘Chiraq,’ says Critics ‘Know Nothing About the Film’
by Daniel Nussbaum15 May 2015
Spike Lee defended the title of his new movie Chiraq at a press conference in Chicago on Thursday, but offered little in the way of plot or casting details to defuse the controversy surrounding the film.

The title of Lee’s film, purportedly about gun violence in the Englewood section of Chicago, has faced criticism from some, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, for its provocative implication: a fusion between the gun violence-drenched streets of Chicago and war-plagued Iraq.

Appearing at the press conference with actor John Cusack, the Rev. Michael Pfleger and members of gun violence support group Purpose Over Pain, Lee said the “people who are judging from afar” should not weigh in on the film’s title, which he suggested could change.

“A lot of things have been said about this film by people who know nothing about the film,” Lee told the media, according to the Chicago Tribune. “A lot of people have opinions about the so-called title of the film. So we thought it was appropriate that we say what the narrative is – the filmmakers, the people doing this – not people who are judging from afar and, again, don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.”

The “Chiraq” moniker has irked Chicago city officials for some time; last year, residents and officials took to social media to launch a campaign aimed at discouraging the use of the suggestive nickname.

According to CBS Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel met with Lee last month to air his displeasure with the film’s title.

“I told him there were very good people in Englewood who are raising their families,” Emanuel told CBS. “There are very good people in Englewood.”

Still, Lee said the title of his film is not meant to be an indictment of the city.

“We have to stop the madness. This is insane. This is nothing to do about Chicago losing tourism. This is not about Chicago losing business,” Lee said at his press conference.

Of course, Lee has tackled controversial topics in his previous films; 1989’s Do The Right Thing, 1992’s Malcolm X, 1995’s drug-dealing caper Clockers and 1997 documentary 4 Little Girls have all touched on themes of race and violence.

Cusack, a native of Chicago, bolstered Lee’s defense of the film, saying he was “very proud” to be in it and that its scope extended outside Chicago to “any urban American city where poverty and violence and desperation are so ever-present.”

“Spike called me up and told me what he was up to. We met, and he looked me in the eye, and said, ‘Johnny, the only reason to do this film is to help save lives,'” said Cusack. “I love my city of Chicago – all of Chicago – and I would never do anything to hurt it.”

“I am 100 percent sure that the great city of Chicago can survive a film of conscience, just like it did Transformers,” the actor joked.

Oddly enough, the film may not be the gritty, violence-drenched affair that the title’s critics think it is. ScreenDaily reported this week that Chiraq is a “reimagining” of the ancient Greek comedy Lysistrata. In the original work, the women of Greece decide to withhold sex from their spouses until the men put an end to war. ScreenDaily says Chiraq will similarly “center on a woman’s quest to end gang warfare in Chicago,” presumably using similar means.

While not much is yet known about the film, Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack are both reportedly circling roles, while Jennifer Hudson may also have an unspecified part. The film will reportedly be released on Amazon in the United States, though it is also being shopped at this week’s Cannes Film Festival.

John Cusack
John Cusack is a director at the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

Note: Glenn Greenwald is a director at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, and contacted Edward Snowden about NSA programs.
Laura Poitras is a director at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, contacted Edward Snowden about NSA programs, and a co-author of 2013-2014 coverage of the National Security Agency (NSA).
Edward Snowden was contacted by Glenn Greenwald & Laura Poitras about NSA programs, leaked information about the National Security Agency (NSA), and a Booz Allen Hamilton employee.
Booz Allen Hamilton is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA), and Obamacare.
Robert S. Osborne was the EVP & general counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013       
R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.                    
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP, and Obamacare is his signature policy initiative.
David D. Hiller was a partner at Sidley Austin LLP, the publisher & president & CEO for the Chicago Tribune, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a director at CBS.
Van Gordon Sauter was the president of CBS, and married to Kathleen L. Brown.
Kathleen L. Brown is married to Van Gordon Sauter, California state government governor Jerry Brown’s sister, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Rahm I. Emanuel is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Chicago (IL) mayor, and was the White House chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration.
Valerie B. Jarrett is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and her great uncle is Vernon E. Jordan Jr.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a senior director at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, an Oak Bluffs (MA) homeowner, director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), was a member of the Iraq Study Group, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Iraq Study Group made policy recommendations on U.S. involvement in Iraq.
Lee H. Hamilton was a co-chair at the Iraq Study Group, and is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and the Urban Institute (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a managing director at Booz Allen Hamilton.
Booz Allen Hamilton is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA), and Obamacare.
Tonya Lewis Lee is a director at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and married to Spike Lee.
Charles J. Ogletree Jr. is a director at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and an Oak Bluffs (MA) homeowner.
Spike Lee is married to Tonya Lewis Lee, an Oak Bluffs (MA) homeowner, and his new movie is called Chiraq.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is an Oak Bluffs (MA) homeowner, a senior director at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), a life trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank), a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, was a member of the Iraq Study Group, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Iraq Study Group made policy recommendations on U.S. involvement in Iraq.
Jamie S. Gorelick is a trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank), and a director at the Amazon.com, Inc.
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for Amazon.com, Inc.
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Nicolas J. Hanauer was an early investor in Amazon.com, Inc, and is an advisory board member for Everytown for Gun Safety.






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