National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Clerks arrived in 1994 through Miramax Films after its celebrated debut at Sundance, where Kevin Smith's debut feature announced a new voice in American independent cinema. Shot for roughly $27,000 on black-and-white 16mm later blown up to 35mm, the film's raw, dialogue-driven portrait of working-class ennui in suburban New Jersey became a defining document of the decade's independent movement.

This cell, titled Quick Stop Groceries, captures Dante Hicks, Randal Graves, and Silent Bob gathered on the rooftop of the Quick Stop during the film's memorable hockey sequence. The store's signage is legible in the third frame, grounding the moment in its iconic location. Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, and Kevin Smith are all present across the three frames.