Spike Lee Gets Major Love For 'BlacKkKlansman' At Cannes, Rips Trump

A 10-minute ovation and Lee’s takedown of the "motherf**ker" president made it a festival day to remember.
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The Cannes Film Festival audience did the right thing at the premiere of Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” Monday, showering the director with a 10-minute ovation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The adoration didn’t end there.

The crowd applauded several times during the screening, and erupted for four minutes as the credits rolled. Guests stood and clapped for an additional six minutes, the show business publication wrote.

Lee, whose “Do The Right Thing” lost the Palme d’Or top Cannes prize to Steven Soderbergh’s “sex lies and videotape” in 1989, may fare better this year, given the reception and early reviews.

Variety called the film a “major comeback for Lee” and “a welcome throwback to the days when Lee’s movies struck a nerve in the cultural conversation.” Time said it deserved to win an Oscar.

The film revolves around the true story of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington, Denzel’s son), a black Colorado Springs cop who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the ’70s. Adam Driver, Topher Grace and Laura Harrier also star in the film, slated for an August release in the U.S.

A montage about last summer’s racial clash in Charlottesville, Virginia, ends the movie, providing a bookend to a Cannes day in which race ― and Lee ― dominated the conversation.

Lee included a dedication in the film to Heather Heyer, who was killed in Charlottesville by a man driving his car into people protesting white nationalism.

President Donald Trump infamously summed up the Charlottesville violence by saying there were “very fine people on both sides.”

Lee used that as a jumping-off point in a fiery condemnation of Trump at an earlier press conference.

 “That motherfucker was given the chance to say we are about love, not hate,” Lee said in the clip below. “And that motherfucker did not denounce the motherfucking Klan, the alt-right, and those Nazis motherfuckers. It was a defining moment, and he could have said to the world ‘not the United States,’ that we were better than that.”

Lee added that the world had to wake up to “right-wing bullshit.”

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Before You Go

Most Stunning Looks From Cannes 2018
Cindy Bruna(01 of53)
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Wearing Ashi Studio at the "Burning" premiere on May 16. (credit:Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
Petra Nemcova(02 of53)
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Wearing Georges Chakra at the "Burning" premiere on May 16. (credit:Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
Khadja Nin(03 of53)
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At the screening of "Burning" on May 16. (credit:George Pimentel via Getty Images)
Aissa Maiga(04 of53)
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Wearing Balmain at the screening of "Burning" on May 16. (credit:Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images)
Adriana Lima(05 of53)
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Wearing Alberta Ferretti at the screening of "Burning" on May 16. (credit:Venturelli via Getty Images)
Jiang Mengjie(06 of53)
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At the screening of "Burning" on May 16. (credit:VCG via Getty Images)
Winnie Harlow(07 of53)
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Wearing Jean-Louis Sabaji Couture at the screening of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" on May 15. (credit:Gisela Schober via Getty Images)
Shanina Shaik(08 of53)
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Wearing Alberta Ferretti at the screening of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" on May 15. (credit:Venturelli via Getty Images)
Emilia Clarke(09 of53)
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Wearing Dior at the screening of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" on May 15. (credit:Mike Marsland via Getty Images)
Sara Sampaio(10 of53)
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Wearing Ralph & Russo at the "Solo: A Star Wars Story" premiere on May 15. (credit:Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
Sonam Kapoor(11 of53)
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Wearing Vera Wang on May 15, 2018 for the screening of the film "Solo : A Star Wars Story." (credit:LOIC VENANCE via Getty Images)
Sonam Kapoor(12 of53)
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Wearing Ralph & Russo for the screening of the film "BlacKkKlansman" on May 14. (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Bella Hadid(13 of53)
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Wearing Elie Saab couture at the screening of "Blackkklansman" on May 14. (credit:Gisela Schober via Getty Images)
Cate Blanchett(14 of53)
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Wearing Givenchy Haute Couture at the screening of "Blackkklansman" on May 14. (credit:Dominique Charriau via Getty Images)
Natasha Poly(15 of53)
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Wearing Atelier Versace at the screening of "BlacKkKlansman" on May 14. (credit:George Pimentel via Getty Images)
Nicole Scherzinger(16 of53)
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Wearing Ashi Studio at the screening of "BlacKkKlansman" on May 14. (credit:Gisela Schober via Getty Images)
Daphne Groeneveld(17 of53)
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Wearing Roberto Cavalli couture at the screening of "BlacKkKlansman" on May 14. (credit:Gisela Schober via Getty Images)
Winnie Harlow(18 of53)
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Wearing Ralph & Russo at the screening of "BlacKkKlansman" on May 14. (credit:Vittorio Zunino Celotto via Getty Images)
Aishwarya Rai(19 of53)
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Wearing Rami Kadi Couture at the screening of "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" on May 13. (credit:Gisela Schober via Getty Images)
Araya Hargate(20 of53)
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In Giambattista Valli couture for the "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" photo call on May 13. (credit:Stephane Cardinale - Corbis via Getty Images)
Diane Kruger(21 of53)
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Wearing Armani Privé at the "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" photo call on May 13. (credit:Stephane Cardinale - Corbis via Getty Images)
Lea Mornar(22 of53)
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At the screening of "A Family Matter (Une Affaire De Famille)" on May 13. (credit:Gisela Schober via Getty Images)
Izabel Goulart(23 of53)
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Wearing Zuhair Murad couture at the screening of "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" on May 13. (credit:Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images)
Iskra Lawrence(24 of53)
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Wearing Justin Alexander at the screening of "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" on May 13. (credit:Andreas Rentz via Getty Images)
Chiara Ferragni(25 of53)
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Wearing custom Alberta Ferretti at the screening of "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" on May 13. (credit:Gisela Schober via Getty Images)
Jane Fonda(26 of53)
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Wearing Givenchy Haute Couture at the screening of "Sink or Swim (Le Grand Bain" on May 13. (credit:ALBERTO PIZZOLI via Getty Images)
Bruna Marquezine(27 of53)
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Wearing Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini at the screening of "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" on May 13. (credit:Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images)
Stacy Martin(28 of53)
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Wearing Dior at the screening of "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" on May 13. (credit:Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images)
Elsa Hosk(29 of53)
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Wearing Alberta Ferretti at the screening of "Girls Of The Sun (Les Filles Du Soleil)" on May 12. (credit:Gisela Schober via Getty Images)
Sofia Boutella(30 of53)
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Wearing Vera Wang Bridal at the screening of "Farenheit 451" on May 12. (credit:Venturelli via Getty Images)
Jasmine Tookes(31 of53)
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Wearing Zac Posen at the screening of "Girls Of The Sun (Les Filles Du Soleil)" on May 12. (credit:Mike Marsland via Getty Images)
Kendall Jenner(32 of53)
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Wearing Schiaparelli couture at the screening of "Girls Of The Sun (Les Filles Du Soleil)" on May 12. (credit:Venturelli via Getty Images)
Aishwarya Rai(33 of53)
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Wearing Michael Cinco couture at the screening of "Girls Of The Sun (Les Filles Du Soleil)" on May 12. (credit:Gisela Schober via Getty Images)
Helen Mirren(34 of53)
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Wearing Elie Saab couture at the screening of "Girls Of The Sun (Les Filles Du Soleil)" on May 12. (credit:George Pimentel via Getty Images)
Deepika Padukone(35 of53)
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In Ashi Studio couture, at the screening of "Ash Is The Purest White (Jiang Hu Er Nv)" on May 11. (credit:Vittorio Zunino Celotto via Getty Images)
Araya Hargate(36 of53)
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In Ashi Studio at the screening of "Ash Is The Purest White (Jiang Hu Er Nv)" on May 11. (credit:George Pimentel via Getty Images)
Kangana Ranaut(37 of53)
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In Nedo by Nedret Taciroglu at the screening of "Ash Is The Purest White (Jiang Hu Er Nv)" on May 11. (credit:George Pimentel via Getty Images)
Bella Hadid(38 of53)
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Wearing Dior Couture for the screening of the film "Ash is Purest White (Jiang hu er nv)" on May 11. (credit:VALERY HACHE via Getty Images)
Miya Muqi(39 of53)
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At the screening of "Ash Is The Purest White (Jiang Hu Er Nv)" on May 11. (credit:Andreas Rentz via Getty Images)
Praya Lundberg(40 of53)
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In Michael Cinco Couture at the screening of "Ash Is The Purest White (Jiang Hu Er Nv)." (credit:George Pimentel via Getty Images)
Lupita Nyong'o(41 of53)
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In Christian Dior Couture at the screening of "Sorry Angel (Plaire, Aimer Et Courir Vite)" on May 10. (credit:Gisela Schober via Getty Images)
Amber Heard(42 of53)
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Wearing Valentino couture at the screening of "Sorry Angel (Plaire, Aimer Et Courir Vite)" on May 10. (credit:Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images)
Aja Naomi King(43 of53)
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Wearing Zuhair Murad couture at the screening of "Sorry Angel (Plaire, Aimer Et Courir Vite)" on May 10. (credit:Emma McIntyre via Getty Images)
Deepika Padukone(44 of53)
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In Zuhair Murad at the screening of "Sorry Angel (Plaire, Aimer Et Courir Vite)" on May 10. (credit:George Pimentel via Getty Images)
Irina Shayk(45 of53)
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In Versace at the screening of "Sorry Angel (Plaire, Aimer Et Courir Vite)" on May 10. (credit:Venturelli via Getty Images)
Cate Blanchett(46 of53)
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In Mary Katrantzou at the screening of "Cold War (Zimna Wojna)" on May 10. (credit:Andreas Rentz via Getty Images)
Guan Xiaotong(47 of53)
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At the screening of "Ash Is The Purest White (Jiang Hu Er Nv)" on May 11. (credit:George Pimentel via Getty Images)
Celina Jade(48 of53)
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Wearing Dior at the screening of "Sorry Angel (Plaire, Aimer Et Courir Vite)" on May 10. (credit:Venturelli via Getty Images)
Julianne Moore(49 of53)
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Wearing Givenchy Haute Couture at the screening of the film "Todos Lo Saben (Everybody Knows)" on May 8. (credit:LOIC VENANCE via Getty Images)
Kristen Stewart, Ava DuVernay, Denis Villeneuve, Cate Blanchett, Robert Guediguian, Khadja Nin and Andrey Zvyagintsev(50 of53)
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On May 8, 2018 for the screening of the film "Todos Lo Saben (Everybody Knows)." (credit:LOIC VENANCE via Getty Images)
Fan Bingbing(51 of53)
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Wearing Ali Karoui at the screening of "Everybody Knows (Todos Lo Saben)" on May 8. (credit:Tony Barson via Getty Images)
Camila Coelho(52 of53)
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Wearing Ralph & Russo at the screening of "Everybody Knows (Todos Lo Saben)" on May 8. (credit:Dominique Charriau via Getty Images)
Chris Lee(53 of53)
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Wearing Gucci at the screening of "Everybody Knows (Todos Lo Saben)" on May 8. (credit:Andreas Rentz via Getty Images)