Spike Lee believes that Denzel Washington deserved his flowers from the Academy Awards for 1993 biopic Malcolm X. Washington portrayed the civil rights activist and Muslim minister in the Lee-directed film,

Spike Lee is calling out a bad call from the Academy more than 30 years later: The auteur, along with most cinephiles, is convinced that Denzel Washington was snubbed for the Best Actor Oscar for “ Malcolm X .” Al Pacino instead won over Washington for “Scent of a Woman.”

Cannes 2025 was alive with a mix of nostalgia and sharp insights as filmmaker Spike Lee arrived for the premiere of his latest film, Highest 2 Lowest. At the festival, he reignited one of Hollywood’s most talked-about debates: the Oscar snub of Denzel Washington for his role in Malcolm X.