"People are still in dire straits, we want to put the focus back here," he added.
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts will be shown in two two-hour segments on American TV next week.
The premiere of the film took place on Wednesday at the New Orleans Coliseum and one evacuee who had returned to New Orleans to try to find a new home said she felt "spiritually drawn" to see it.
Spike Lee has been criticised by some people who saw previews of the film because he did not include more representation from Mississippi Gulf Coast residents and New Orleans's white population.
However, Spike Lee said there was diversity in the film "but because of the historical significance... we chose to focus here. That was my vision. I wanted to concentrate on New Orleans".
