The white hair, the cigarette, the low-key, laid back attitude. This is Jim Jarmusch. Writer, director, true auteur.

Many people are probably unfamiliar with his name, but many have seen his face thanks to his cameo in one of the little independents that made it big, Billy Bob Thorton's "Sling Blade." The man at the Frostee Cream, the first person Karl interacts with in the outside world, would you believe that's one of coolest people in film today?

Jim Jarmusch is an independent. Moreso he is a pioneer of independent film. He has inspired many, including Kevin Smith and Spike Lee.

"My process really began in film school after a former classmate of mine finished his first film a year out of NYU - when Jim Jarmusch released 'Stranger Than Paradise.' Here was someone I knew, someone who went to the same school that I did, who now had a hit film. I worked in the equipment room as a TA and I had checked equipment out to him, and here was someoe who had an international hit. To me, that was when it first became do-able. I owe a great deal to Jim Jarmusch. He showed me and everyone at NYU that we could do this."
-Spike Lee, MovieMaker Magazine

If you are a newcomer to the world of Jarmusch, I hope this page will be an impetus for you to delve into his "sad and beautiful world" more deeply. If you are already a fan, I hope this page will please you.