Spike Lee Honors Jackie Robinson’s ‘Impact’ In New Short Film
To celebrate what would have been baseball legend, Jackie Robinson’s 100th birthday, Spike Lee has partnered with the Jackie Robinson Foundation and Budweiser to pay tribute to Number 42 in a short film called, Impact.
The three-minute clip is directed by Lee and narrated by Sharon Robinson, daughter of the baseball legend. The film spotlights how Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947, after a history of segregation in the sport.
Says Spike Lee, “I’m honored to work with Sharon Robinson and Budweiser. All of us working in unison to pay homage to a great American who literally changed the game with the impact he made. Long Live Jackie Robinson!”
As many movie fans will recall, Spike’s character, Mookie, donned a Robinson Dodger’s jersey in his iconic film, Do The Right Thing, which celebrates its 30th Anniversary, this summer. In 2013, a feature film was released, based on Jackie Robinson’s life. Appropriately titled, 42, it was directed by Brian Helgeland and starred Chadwick Boseman.
Impact will air for the first time, nationally on Opening Day as a TV commercial and will be shown in ballparks across the country.
As part of the “Impact” campaign, Budweiser is raising money for the Jackie Robinson Foundation to help support the Jackie Robinson Museum opening in New York City. Budweiser has created limited edition, Jackie Robinson “42” aluminum bottles for the MLB season. Marked with Jackie’s signature, 42 cents from every bottle sold will be donated to the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
Working closely with Budweiser, Sharon Robinson helped with the curation of the campaign as well as narrated the film with commentary and images that capture how Jackie Robinson’s legacy continues to shift cultural paradigms, to this day.
“I was incredibly honored to work with Spike Lee and Budweiser on “Impact,” says Robinson’s daughter. “Spike’s passion for the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson is legendary. We were confident that he’d pay tribute to my father in a fresh and respectful way. The deal was sealed when Budweiser stepped to the plate to help support us in funding the Jackie Robinson Museum.”
Watch, “Impact,” below:
