Spike Lee is having love spread the Brooklyn way with a newly renovated movie theater dedicated in his honor Thursday night.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker of “Do The Right Thing,” “Mo Betta Blues” and “Jungle Fever” will be on hand when the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at Brooklyn’s City Point will be renamed Spike Lee Cinema.
Though a native of Atlanta, the 67-year-old has lived and worked in Brooklyn throughout his 40-plus years in the industry.
The 1986 dramedy “She’s Gotta Have It” — filmed on a shoestring budget in 12 days throughout neighborhoods such as Fort Greene, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights — launched his prolific career. The film was revived into a Brooklyn-based 2017 Netflix series.
“I live in New York City, the stories of my films take place in New York; I’m a New York filmmaker,” Lee has said.
The Alamo Drafthouse, which opened its Downtown Brooklyn outpost in 2016, recently completed a massive renovation. Upgrades include premium leather recliners, personal swivel tables, and revamped menus.
The theater also boasts five new auditoriums, with all of its screens using state-of-the-art laser projectors, with capabilities for some to show RealD 3D, 70mm and 35mm films.
“After completing this massive upgrade to our Brooklyn location, we knew immediately that we wanted to dedicate it to Spike Lee,” Alamo Drafthouse CEO Michael Kustermann. “His films have defined Brooklyn for generations, and we’re immensely proud to do our part to honor that legacy.”
Lee will also participate in a live Q&A after a private screening of his semi-autobiographical 1994 film, “Crooklyn.”
As to be expected, the new space will screen a retrospective series of Lee’s films over the next few weeks, including “Crooklyn” (Sept. 17), “Mo’ Better Blues” (Sept. 21), “Jungle Fever” (Sept. 22), “Do the Right Thing” (Sept. 28), “Clockers” (Sept. 29) and “Inside Man” (Oct. 6).
