Smithereens ( 1982 )

Filmmaker Susan Seidelman rocked the movie industry with this daring and quirky story of Wren (Susan Berman), a self-promoting Jersey girl desperate to break into the downtown Manhattan music scene. But with no money and no talent, she bounces between a nice guy artist (Brad Rinn) who lives in his van and an arrogant musician (Punk icon Richard Hell) who lives off of anyone who will let him.

SMITHEREENS - which also marked the debut of oscar-nominated screenwriter Ron Nyswaner (PHILADELPHIA) and features a score by beloved cult band The Feelies - remains a remarkable time capsule of the early ´80s East Village scene and made history as the first American independent film invited to compete for the Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival.