Oscar-nominated director Spike Lee has received a special award from Bafta to honour the influence he has had on modern cinema.

Bafta's president, Lord Attenborough, presented Lee with the award at Bafta's London headquarters on Thursday.

The 44-year-old American star also took part in a one-to-one interview about his work with playwright and critic Bonnie Greer in front of an invited audience of British Academy members.

Lee directed the Oscar-nominated Malcolm X

Many of Lee's films, which include Malcolm X and Do the Right Thing, have caused controversy because of their gritty subject matters, often relating to issues affecting black communities.

"The interview will focus on why his movies have caused such debate and the defining moments of his career to date," a Bafta spokesman said before the event.

Malcolm X, about the life of the Black Nationalist leader, is considered Lee's greatest work.

The film led to actor Denzel Washington receiving his first leading actor Oscar nomination, although he had already won a best supporting actor award for Glory.

Lee himself was nominated for best screenplay for Do The Right Thing in 1989.

Resurgence

From She's Gotta Have It and Do The Right Thing to his forthcoming release, 25th Hour, Lee has established himself as one of the industry's most influential film-makers.

Lee's biopic of Malcolm X was his most ambitious film

His work has seen him become a well-known political presence who has almost single-handedly brought about a resurgence in African-American cinema.

Lee's second film, School Daze, was important as one of the first major studio motion pictures over which a black film-maker was given complete control.

Lee usually reserves a supporting role in each of his movies for himself, often playing the main character's sidekick or best friend.

Previous recipients of Bafta special awards include Sir John Mills, Audrey Hepburn and Dame Maggie Smith.

Special awards are among the highest honours issued by Bafta, the UK's equivalent of the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hands out the Oscars.