40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks is the

production company A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and v ...

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

, founded in 1979. The company name is a reference to the phrase most often used to refer to the early Reconstruction period policy and episode of events, in which certain recently emancipated black families on the

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

coast were given lots of land no larger than and in some cases surplus army mules. The order, issued in 1865 by

General Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

as " Special Field Order 15", was later revoked by Andrew Johnson, and the land was taken away from the freed slaves and returned to previous owners.

History

The company has produced all of Lee's films, starting in 1986 with ''

She's Gotta Have It ''She's Gotta Have It'' is a 1986 American black-and-white comedy-drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Spike Lee. Filmed on a small budget and Lee's first feature-length film to be released, it earned positive reviews and lau ...

''. After the success of films ''

Do the Right Thing ''Do the Right Thing'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson, ...

'' and ''

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of I ...

'', Lee expanded the 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks brand by opening clothing stores with merchandise that bore the company's emblem. Lee has also done several collaborations with

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

, Eckō Unltd. and Brooklyn Denim. 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks also has an advertising division with DDB called Spike DDB located in New York City. They have done Super Bowl,

and

Lay's Lay's is a brand of potato chips, as well as the name of the company that founded the chip brand in the United States. The brand is also referred to as Frito-Lay because both Lay's and Fritos are brands sold by the Frito-Lay company, which ha ...

commercial spots. They have produced commercials and music videos in addition to Lee's films. The company established a music branch, used to designate records, 40 Acres and a Mule Musicworks in 1993. In the late 1980s, the company sought a partnership with

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, which was reupped in September 1992, and stayed on for five years, which lasted until March 2, 1997, when it was moved to

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

. Sam Kitt was named president of production at the Sony-based studio on June 18, 1997. In 2004, the company moved all of its operations to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

with headquarters on South Elliott Place in the

Fort Greene Fort Greene is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Flushing Avenue and the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the north, Flatbush Avenue Extension and Downtown Brooklyn to the wes ...

neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. In December 2021, the company had signed a multi-year creative partnership with

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

to develop their film and television projects.

Awards and honors

* 2010: Peabody Award for ''

If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise ''If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise'' is a 2010 documentary film directed by Spike Lee, as a follow-up to his 2006 HBO documentary film, '' When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts''. The film looks into the proceeding years since ...

''70th Annual Peabody Awards
May 2011.

Filmography

Television

* '' A Huey P. Newton Story'' (2001) * '' Good Fences'' (2003) * '' When the Levees Broke'' (2006) * '' Kobe Doin' Work'' (2009) * ''

If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise ''If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise'' is a 2010 documentary film directed by Spike Lee, as a follow-up to his 2006 HBO documentary film, '' When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts''. The film looks into the proceeding years since ...

'' (2010) * ''

'' (2017-19) * '' NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021½'' (2021)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:40 Acres and A Mule Filmworks 1979 establishments in New York City African-American cinema American companies established in 1979 Companies based in Brooklyn Film production companies of the United States Mass media companies based in New York City Mass media companies established in 1979 Spike Lee