The story tells how  Malcolm Little, a young black hoodlum in jazz age Harlem, is incarcerated then finds his voice as Malcolm X, a member of the political movement Nation of Islam. A great orator in the civil rights movement, X becomes a thorn in the side of the establishment. His life changes again on a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he gains a deeper understanding of the central teachings of Islam and discovers a more accommodating outlook, as well as another new name. In shooting these scenes, Lee received special permission to shoot scenes in Mecca on the condition that he hired an all-Muslim film crew.

Now, almost 30 years later, Lee will attend a special screening of “Malcolm X” at the Red Sea  International Film Festival.