Washington [US], April 10: Acclaimed director Spike Lee is returning to the Cannes spotlight with his new crime thriller ‘Highest 2 Lowest’, which will debut in the Out of Competition section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The film stars Denzel Washington in their fifth celebrated collaboration.
Lee took to Instagram to share the exciting news in his signature style,
“Bon Jour. Good Morning. Whaddup. Da New SPIKE LEE JOINT – HIGHEST 2 LOWEST Starring My Brother DENZEL WASHINGTON Has Been Invited To Da 2025 CANNES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (In The Out Of Competition Category). AND DAT’S DA BOTTLES OF TRUTH, RUTH. YA-DIG SHO-NUFF.”
The post also featured a behind-the-scenes photo of production merchandise, with a special embroidered nod: ‘Highest 2 Lowest 2 Cannes’.
📽️ About the Film
‘Highest 2 Lowest’ is a reinterpretation of legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic ‘High and Low’, not a direct remake. While Kurosawa’s original followed a Yokohama shoe executive caught in a kidnapping plot, Lee has reimagined the story with Washington as a revered music mogul known for having “the best ears in the business.”
“In Kurosawa’s film, Toshiro Mifune is a shoemaker,” Lee explained. “In our film, Denzel is a music mogul.”
This marks the fifth collaboration between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, following:
- Mo’ Better Blues (1990)
- Malcolm X (1992)
- He Got Game (1998)
- Inside Man (2006)
🎥 Cannes 2025: A Star-Studded Line-Up
Cannes organizers confirmed the screening will take place on Monday, May 19, 2025, with Denzel Washington in attendance.
Other high-profile premieres set for this year’s May 13–24 festival include:
- Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme
- Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague
- Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value
- Julie Ducournau’s Alpha (the Palme d’Or-winning director’s latest)
🗂️ Key Highlights:
- Spike Lee returns to Cannes with ‘Highest 2 Lowest’
- Denzel Washington stars as a powerful music mogul
- A modern reinterpretation of Kurosawa’s High and Low
- Out of Competition screening set for May 19 at Cannes 2025