Shooting Clerks: Movie about the making of Kevin Smith’s groundbreaking film to premiere this month

Last Updated on August 8, 2023

Kevin Smith, who has recently been approved with a SAG waiver to make his new movie The 4:30 Movie, is one of the biggest pioneers in independent filmmaking in the 1990s. He joins Robert Rodriguez as someone who was able to make a feature film on a minuscule budget with basically no crew on a do-it-yourself mentality. Both directors would gain acclaim for their efforts as both Clerks and El Mariachi won over fans at film festivals and started a revolution of non-studio productions. Smith would go on to carry over the characters Jay and Silent Bob onto his other films, including their own spin-offs, and even made two sequels to the one that started it all.

It’s hard for aspiring filmmakers not to be inspired by the groundbreaking indie film, and in a bit of poetry, indie filmmakers have made a movie about Kevin Smith and the making of Clerks in the film from Auld Reekie Media and Pink Plaid Productions titled Shooting Clerks. The film is set to have its theatrical debut with a premiere at Kevin Smith’s recently acquired hometown theater SModcastle Cinemas in New Jersey on Sunday, August 13 at 2PM.

The synopsis from the press release reads,
“The true story of how convenience store clerk Kevin Smith made his grainy $27,000 film Clerks with maxed-out credit cards and the people who aided him in his indie crusade.”

The film’s director, Christopher Downie, is aiming to inspire other aspiring filmmakers to follow their dreams with this affectionate tribute. Downie states, “The tagline ‘It’s all about making a movie with your friends’ says it all for me, personally. I always had help from friends and family when making movies. It’s carried through my entire career because it makes the process an enjoyable experience. Those who we hired to work on the film, namely the cast and my producer Ryan James, have become close friends, mainly because they share the same sentiment. It truly is all about making a movie with your friends.”

Smith himself jumped on the project as an executive producer after the people behind the film had previously released shorts that had caught his attention. In true Smith fashion, the film would feature cameos such as TROMA’s Lloyd Kaufman (The Toxic Avenger), James Rolfe (The Angry Video Game Nerd), Sanjeev Kohli (Still Game, Filth), Matthew Postlethwaite (Peaky Blinders, The Great Artist).

According to the press release, immediately following the screening, the cast and crew, including Kevin Smith himself, the film’s director Christopher Downie and producer Ryan James will take to the stage for an all access Q & A.

You can head to the official site at shootingclerks.com to purchase tickets.