Jim Jarmusch

An American filmmaker rooted in the New York City arts scene, Jim Jarmusch often works outside the borders of the five boroughs to tell tales of outsiders adrift in hostile, or at least indifferent, environments. Staunchly devoted to independent cinema, Jarmusch rose to art-house prominence in the 1980s with his first three feature films—Permanent Vacation, Stranger Than Paradise, and Down By Law—all shot in black and white on shoe-string budgets. The latter movie—starring Jarmusch ‘80s/'90s regulars Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni—perfectly encapsulates the director's deadpan philosophical aesthetic with the line "It is a sad and beautiful world." Later efforts found Jarmusch not only dabbling in color (Mystery Train, Night on Earth), but also taking on genre films with the hypnotic Western Dead Man (a return to the two-tone format) and the inventive swordsman/mafia tale Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. Perpetually plugged into the music world, Jarmusch performed with the short-lived NYC No Wave act the Del-Byzanteens and has frequently collaborated with musicians (see above), even capturing Neil Young live for the full-length documentary Year of the Horse. Although Jarmusch's 21st-century output has been underwhelming, the sage white-haired auteur has enough indie classics under his belt to ensure his ongoing adoration.