Shirley Clarke

Shirley Clarke (née Brimberg) was a pioneering American filmmaker whose work spanned experimental short subjects, socially charged feature documentaries, and avant‑garde video performance. Born on October 2, 1919 in New York City, she grew up in a wealthy immigrant family, trained in modern dance under Martha Graham, Humphrey‑Weidman and Hanya Holm, and used that kinetic sensibility to redefine cinematic language. Her first film, Dance in the Sun (1953), earned the New York Dance Film Society’s best dance film award and announced her transition from dancer to director, a path she pursued through studies with Hans Richter and membership in the Independent Filmmakers of America. Over the next decade she created landmark shorts such as Bridges‑Go‑Round (1958), noted for its abstract‑expressionist visuals and dual soundtracks by Louis and Bebe Barron and Teo Macero, and the Oscar‑nominated documentary Skyscraper (1959) which captured the rise of 666 Fifth Avenue.

Clarke’s most celebrated feature, The Connection (1961), confronted heroin‑addicted jazz musicians and challenged New York State censorship, earning both acclaim at Cannes and a series of bans that underscored the systemic barriers faced by women filmmakers. She continued to push boundaries with The Cool World (1964), the first independent film screened at the Venice International Film Festival, and the intimate interview portrait Portrait of Jason (1967), which explored identity and marginalization despite mixed critical response. In the 1970s and 80s she returned to her performance roots, forming the TeePee Video Space Troupe at the Hotel Chelsea and pioneering live‑video installations, before completing her final documentary Ornette: Made in America (1985). Throughout her career Clarke taught at UCLA, mentored emerging artists, and remained an outspoken advocate for artistic freedom, feminist representation, and experimental storytelling until her death in 1997.