This film is currently unavailable

Shadows
John Cassavetes' directorial debut follows the relationship between a mixed-race woman and a white man.
Director: John Cassavetes
Overview
Set amongst the lively milieu of artists and jazz musicians in bohemian 1950s New York, John Cassavetes' directorial debut follows the doomed relationship between a young mixed-race woman Lelia (Lelia Goldoni) and Tony (Anthony Ray), a white man who betrays his prejudice when he meets Lelia's brother, a struggling jazz singer.
Shot on location with a cast and crew largely made up of amateurs and featuring a swinging, improvised score by Charles Mingus and Shafi Hadi, Shadows gave birth to a radical new film language grounded in authenticity, and is widely considered the first truly independent American film.
Related

Long Day's Journey Into Night Long Day's Journey Into Night
Drama 2018 138 mins Director: Bi Gan
Bi Gan's βdestroyed film noir' is a dazzling dive into an immersive dreamscape.

Vermiglio Vermiglio
Drama 2024 120 mins Director: Maura Delpero
Unfolding against the stunning backdrop of a remote Italian mountain village, Maura Delperoβs film is a hauntingly beautiful period tale of family life gradually torn apart.

On Falling On Falling
Drama 2025 101 mins Director: Laura Carreira
The importance of human connection lies at the heart of this powerful, nuanced portrait of a young Portuguese warehouse employee in Scotland.

Memories of Murder Memories of Murder
Detective drama 2003 131 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
A pair of detectives clash trying to solve the brutal murder of two women, in Bong Joon-hoβs masterful blend of true crime and dark social satire.

The Noose The Noose
Drama 1958 98 mins Director: Wojciech Jerzy Has
Wojciech Hasβ dazzling feature debut, a bleak, mordantly funny, all too human portrait of an alcoholic.

The Doll The Doll
Drama 1968 153 mins Director: Wojciech Jerzy Has
Widescreen adaptation of BolesΕaw Prusβs 1870s-set novel about a man who cannot escape his class straitjacket.

Anger Me Anger Me
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2006 71 mins Director: Elio Gelmini
Like all good magicians, the life and work of Kenneth Anger, the Magus of underground film, is crowded with mystery and myth.

Birthright Birthright
Drama 1938 74 mins Silent Director: Oscar Micheaux
Oscar Micheaux directs the story of a Harvard graduate whose attempts to establish a rural school runs into opposition from both races.

Blood of Jesus Blood of Jesus
Drama 1941 56 mins Director: Spencer Williams
Spencer Williams feverish melodrama about a womanβs flirtation with Satan was independently produced out of Texas with an amateur cast and a budget of $5,000.

The Exiles The Exiles
Drama 1961 73 mins Director: Kent Mackenzie
Kent Mackenzie's gritty, vΓ©ritΓ© depiction of the lives of marginalized Native Americans living in Los Angeles draws comparisons to the work of John Cassavetes and Vittorio de Sica.

Faces Faces
Drama 1968 130 mins Director: John Cassavetes
Richard and his wife Maria seek solace from their disintegrating marriage in the arms of other lovers in John Cassavetes's powerful 1968 feature.

I Am Divine I Am Divine
Documentary 2013 90 mins Director: Jeffrey Schwarz
A unique documentary about a unique person β follow Divineβs life from humble Baltimore beginnings to superstar status as the Queen of Cult.

Long Day's Journey Into Night Long Day's Journey Into Night
Drama 2018 138 mins Director: Bi Gan
Bi Gan's βdestroyed film noir' is a dazzling dive into an immersive dreamscape.

Vermiglio Vermiglio
Drama 2024 120 mins Director: Maura Delpero
Unfolding against the stunning backdrop of a remote Italian mountain village, Maura Delperoβs film is a hauntingly beautiful period tale of family life gradually torn apart.

On Falling On Falling
Drama 2025 101 mins Director: Laura Carreira
The importance of human connection lies at the heart of this powerful, nuanced portrait of a young Portuguese warehouse employee in Scotland.

The Balconettes The Balconettes
Comedy 2024 104 mins Director: NoΓ©mie Merlant
Co-written with CΓ©line Sciamma, NoΓ©mie Merlantβs bright and bold film follows three friends as they try to dispose of the body of an abuser theyβve accidentally killed.

Barking Dogs Never Bite Barking Dogs Never Bite
Comedy 2000 111 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
A professor takes drastic action to silence a barking dog in this superb debut feature from Bong Joon-ho, the Oscar-winning director of Parasite.

Memories of Murder Memories of Murder
Detective drama 2003 131 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
A pair of detectives clash trying to solve the brutal murder of two women, in Bong Joon-hoβs masterful blend of true crime and dark social satire.