SPIKE LEE - LEE AWARDED WEXNER PRIZE

Director SPIKE LEE has been honoured with the $50,000 (GBP25,000) Wexner Prize in recognition of his work in the movie industry. The Malcolm X filmmaker, 50, received the prestigious silver hammer sculpture on Monday (11Feb08) at a ceremony at founder Les Wexner's home in Columbus, Ohio. In a statement, Wexner says, "Spike Lee exemplifies what the Wexner Prize was created to celebrate: a bold creative spirit who is unafraid to provoke and challenge us. He tests the American mind, and its attitudes, assumptions and values, and in doing so, he has advanced American cinema in remarkable ways." Lee is the 13th recipient of the award, funded for by the Wexner Center Foundation, which aims to applaud innovation, quality and integrity among creative stars.