Who directed the 1994 black-and-white independent comedy Clerks?

Kevin Smith directed the 1994 black-and-white independent comedy Clerks. He also wrote the screenplay and co-edited the film, making it his feature directorial debut. The story follows convenience-store clerk Dante Hicks and video-store employee Randal Graves during an increasingly chaotic day at work.

Smith made Clerks on an extremely small budget of about $27,575. He filmed much of it overnight at the convenience store where he worked in Leonardo, New Jersey, using borrowed equipment and relying on friends and local performers. Brian O’Halloran played Dante, Jeff Anderson played Randal, and Jason Mewes and Smith introduced the recurring characters Jay and Silent Bob.

The film’s rough, conversational style and black-and-white photography became part of its identity rather than limitations to hide. It first gained attention through independent-film screenings, including the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, where Miramax acquired distribution rights.

A common mix-up is crediting the film’s later sequel, Clerks II, as the original. Both were written and directed by Smith, but the question’s 1994 film is specifically his debut feature and the first major entry in the View Askewniverse.