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Spike Lee isn’t immune to criticism, but he’d like for people to wait and see his upcoming film,  Chiraqbefore casting judgement. Though the movie isn’t even close to being out yet, it has received negative responses from the likes of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmnauelle and other politicians, because of the title and content.

Chiraq looks at the city’s gang and gun violence, set in the form of a musical comedy in the vein of Aristophanes’s Lysistrata. (By the way, Kanye West wasn’t into the  idea either, because of scheduling issues and such.)

Lee addressed the fervor at a press conference Thursday (May 14), along with John Cusak, one of the film’s stars, and native of the Chicago area. “A lot of things have been said about this film by the people who know nothing about this film,” he told a crowd.

According to Lee, people are “just judging from afar, and again don’t know what the hell they talking about.” The naysayers will end up looking “stupid and be on the wrong side of history,” he added.

The Brooklyn-born director said that he loves Chicago and is fully committed to the project. Everything in Lee’s career has led him to this moment. “This is not a joke, this is not a game,” he said. “This is real life life and death, that’s the way we’re gonna approach this.”

Cusak said that the backlash was simply a “manufactured” issue. “I am 100 percent sure that the great city of Chicago can survive a film of conscience, just like it did Transformers.”

Photo: YouTube