What was Prince's first feature film as director?

Under the Cherry Moon was Prince’s first feature film as director. Released in 1986, it was a romantic musical comedy-drama set on the French Riviera, with Prince starring as the stylish con artist Christopher Tracy.

The film followed Prince’s screen debut in Purple Rain, but its production changed dramatically when original director Mary Lambert departed after disagreements. Prince took over directing while filming was already underway in France. German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus shot the movie, which was processed and released in black and white.

Kristin Scott Thomas made her feature-film debut as Mary Sharon, the wealthy woman pursued by Christopher Tracy. The film also reunited Prince with Jerome Benton, formerly of The Time. Although the movie performed poorly with critics and audiences at release, its accompanying soundtrack, Parade, became a major success and included “Kiss.”

A frequent mix-up is Sign o’ the Times, which is a concert film directed by Prince, not his first narrative feature. Graffiti Bridge was another later Prince-directed film, while Purple Rain was directed by Albert Magnoli.