Director Spike Lee cashes in on Cannes autographed items sale on his website

Spike Lee, a film director from the United States, raised eyebrows at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday when he put autographed festival items up for sale on his personal website.

The famous filmmaker of “Do The Right Thing” is the first black person to ever chair the jury at the world’s most prestigious film festival.

On the red carpet, he made a statement with his own unique sense of style, wearing a tricolour beret to commemorate France’s Bastille Day on Wednesday.

Also Read | Car crush: French flick rattles Cannes with uncommon storyline

The Brooklyn-based director, on the other hand, was chastised for selling autographed 1.50-euro festival postcards for $100 on his Instagram page.

Photographer Samina Seyed, who has more than 42,000 followers on the app, said: “Dear Spike, I know that your signature is priceless… but $100 dollars for your name on a postcard?”

Lee is featured on festival posters across the French Riviera resort, as well as large billboards showcasing luxury Montblanc pens.

For his Cannes wardrobe, he also partnered with luxury brand Louis Vuitton.

His website urges his fans to buy the postcards to “celebrate the first black president of the jury in the festival’s 74-year history”. It also boasts that he is the first living person to appear on the official poster of Cannes.

Lee, 64, has spent much of the festival promoting black and minority musicians, as well as attending an early morning motivational breakfast for migrants relocating to France.

Also Read | Why Hollywood can’t get enough of France’s ‘crime city’ Marseille

Despite the current outbreak of infections in the nation, the event, which started on July 6 on the French Riviera, has attracted stars such as Adam Driver and Matt Damon.

Although it will go ahead, the event will be substantially downsized this year, with fewer flashy Hollywood parties and a smaller audience.