Spike Lee is calling out a bad call from the Academy more than 30 years later: The auteur, along with most cinephiles, is convinced that Denzel Washington was snubbed for the Best Actor Oscar for “ Malcolm X .” Al Pacino instead won over Washington for “Scent of a Woman.”

At a Cannes press conference for his new film "Highest 2 Lowest" on Tuesday, Spike Lee reflected on his five collaborations with Denzel Washington - and said he should have won the best actor Oscar in 1993 over Al Pacino.

Spike Lee, at Cannes Film Festival, praises Denzel Washington's 'Malcolm X' Oscar-worthiness. His new film, 'Highest 2 Lowest,' modernizes Kurosawa's classic 'High and Low,' starring Washington as a music executive and generating buzz.