Although a certain nebbishy auteur has come to stand as the paradigm of the New York director, there are arguably two other candidates well suited for that honor. Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee were not only both raised in the city, but they've built a close friendship while comparing notes over the years. Lee's most recent film is the searing drama Miracle at St. Anna, which follows a troop of African-American soldiers in the heart of Italy during World War II. Scorsese, who grew up in New York's Little Italy, of Sicilian roots, is completing work on the dramatic thriller Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley. In addition to directing, the 66-year-old Scorsese has founded two organizations, the Film Foundation, in 1990, which advocates and supports the preservation of America's film heritage, and the World Cinema Foundation, in 2007, devoted to the preservation of film in developing countries. It's clear that both causes are things that Scorsese cares about, as he seems to remember important moments in his life by the films he was watching at the time. Here Lee asks his friend when he's finally going to make the ultimate New York epic.

SPIKE LEE: I'm here with my man, Martin Scor-sese! He's working on his next film. How's it going?

MARTIN SCORSESE: Well, it's going okay. We're in the middle of our first cut.

SL: And the title of the film is?

MS: Shutter Island.

SL: Starring?

MS: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, and Patricia Clarkson, among others.

SL: You and Leo got a good thing going, baby.

MS: Yeah. [laughs] It's been going for a few years now.