COACH TAPS SPIKE LEE TO DIRECT NEW SHORT FILM FEATURING MICHAEL B. JORDAN
Coach has released a new short film directed by Spike Lee starring the global face of Coach menswear, actor/producer Michael B. Jordan. Shot in the desert outside Los Angeles this past fall, the short film, called “Words Matter,” features a strong poetic narrative that speaks to Coach’s values of inclusion, optimism,
To create the film, Coach brought together Lee and Jordan, two unique talents known for challenging and redefining the landscape of American film. Working together for the first time, the pair hand-picked the distinctive words featured in the narrative to champion a message they both strongly believe in.
The short film opens with Jordan traversing the hot, dusty landscape on a motorcycle. Alone on his journey, he dismounts his bike to find rocks scattered among the desert scrawled with negative words—“Hatred,” “Evil,” “Bigotry,” and “Lies.” Taking action into his own hands, he replaces the bad rocks with good rocks featuring positive words—“Courage,” “Truth,” “Love,” and “Dream”—and writes a new legacy.
“Collaborating with the iconic Spike Lee on this short film for Coach was an inspirational experience,” said Jordan. “Spike’s art has moved the cultural dial for decades. I’m proud of the powerful messaging of this film and to be working alongside a brand that cares about putting that narrative into the world as much as I do.”
“I’m honored to get to collaborate with giants in their respective fields, Michael B. Jordan and Coach,” said Lee. “It was truly a magical day working, shooting in the desert. Enjoy.”
In addition to Lee, who directed and co-wrote the film with his children Satchel and Jackson Lee, Coach worked with stylist Jane How, hair stylist Jove Edmond and makeup artist Carola Gonzalez to bring this vision to life.
To start a conversation around the film “Words Matter,” Coach is also enlisting friends of the house in a series of first personal videos. Directed by Lee’s children, the series of shorts features the artist Whisbe, Nets player Spencer Dinwiddie, and Satchel and Jackson Lee, among others. It will showcase personal points of view on why words matter and will be published over the course of several days to inspire the wider community to post their own testimonials around the film’s core message.