Spike Lee is launching Playback: The Brooklyn Watch Party, a new two-day film festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) on November 6 and 7, celebrating the artists, storytellers, and communities that have shaped Brooklyn’s cultural influence. The inaugural event, co-founded by Lee and Clara Wu Tsai—owner of the New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets—brings together repertory film screenings, live performances, and community activations.
The festival will feature screenings of repertory films curated by Lee and special guest curators, alongside pop-up activations, a free street fair, and live music and poetry. Created by filmmaker and producer Nicholas Ma, who previously worked on documentaries like “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and “Unfinished Business,” the event is designed to celebrate Brooklyn’s creative legacy.
The festival will close with a special screening of Spike Lee’s 1994 film “Crooklyn,” featuring appearances by Lee and actress Alfre Woodard. The semi-autobiographical film captures a portrait of a close-knit Black family living in 1970s Brooklyn and is considered one of Lee’s love letters to the borough where he was raised.
Lee, born in Atlanta but raised in Brooklyn from age two, has built a career as one of the most influential American filmmakers, directing films including “Do the Right Thing,” “Malcolm X,” and “Da 5 Bloods.” His first feature film, “She’s Gotta Have It,” premiered in 1986. The festival reflects Lee’s deep connection to Brooklyn and his commitment to showcasing emerging and established filmmakers telling Brooklyn-centered stories.
Clara Wu Tsai, a prominent Brooklyn-based business leader, brings her platform as owner of the Nets and Liberty to the initiative. The partnership underscores a broader trend of high-profile cultural figures investing in local arts infrastructure and storytelling platforms.
Tickets for the festival go on sale through the festival’s official website, playbackbk.com, where attendees can also sign up for updates. The free street fair and block party components make the festival accessible to the broader Brooklyn community beyond ticketed screenings.
Sources
- Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) — official festival details, co-founders, dates, and programming
- Time Out New York — festival announcement, dates, and event details
- Brooklyn Paper — festival announcement and co-founder information
- BK Mag — festival details and producer information
- Brooklyn Reader — co-founder names and dates
- Because of Them We Can — festival details and programming
