Filmmaker Kevin Smith ("Clerks," "The 4:30 Movie") Heads to Higher Ground

Thirty years ago, Kevin Smith came out of nowhere to become a Cannes and Sundance award-winning filmmaker with his limited-edition comedy “Clerks.” Sudden success for a filmmaker means sudden requests for press tours and film screenings followed by pithy Q&A remarks.

Smith wasn’t ready for this.

“I felt like I couldn’t talk about the subject of film,” the New Jersey native told the Burlington Free Press in an Aug. 21 phone conversation from Los Angeles. “I had made a movie.”

Smith realized that he might not be a movie snob, but he could tell the story of how he had gotten a cat to do its business on command in a scene from his first film. A “side hustle,” as he called it, was born.

Smith began hosting Q&A sessions for fans, and he continues to do so. The filmmaker, whose next film, “The 4:30 Movie,” opens Sept. 13, will be at Higher Ground for two appearances on Saturday, Aug. 31, where he and fans of his films can weigh in on less-than-scholarly topics of their choosing.

“It’s up to the public to decide where we go,” Smith says. “I’ll follow whatever path they want to take.”

Production of the film “4:30 Movie”

Smith was late for his phone interview with the Free Press because he was walking his two German shepherds. He is also late for his appearance at Higher Ground because the make-up sessions took place on May 19, when he was called to edit a film by a friend and first-time filmmaker, rapper Logic.

“This is the first time I’ve ever directed a movie that’s not mine,” Smith said of Logic’s film, “Paradise Records.” “He has a director’s eye, he’s a natural talent.”

Smith, known for his many “Clerks” and “Jay and Silent Bob” films, is releasing his own new film when “The 4:30 Movie” comes out two weeks after his Higher Ground appearances. “The 4:30 Movie” is set in 1986 and was filmed at Smith’s hometown movie theater in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, a theater known as Smodcastle Cinemas, which he now owns.

Most of Smith’s films are inspired by the 1990s. This one goes back a decade, to Smith’s high school years, and features “an alternate version of myself” on a first date. “The 4:30 Movie” is the latest example of a veteran filmmaker dipping into nostalgia, as Stephen Spielberg did for an Oscar-nominated film in 2022.

“It’s less ‘Fabelmans’ and if I had to give a nod somewhere, it would be more ‘Licorice Pizza’ (by) Paul Thomas Anderson,” Smith said of his film about teenagers who hop from theater to theater after buying a ticket to see as many movies as they can at their local multiplex. “It’s definitely a nostalgia piece for people my age who did the same thing.”

Smith gave another nod to a filmmaker who influenced his generation, saying that “The 4:30 Movie” gave him the opportunity to “step into John Hughes country.”

“It’s a really cool movie,” he said.

Finding Meaning in “Mallrats”

Smith can talk about “The 4:30 Movie” or almost anything else during his Higher Ground appearances. He went into his Q&A side business assuming the same 1,000 people would keep showing up.

“It turns out we have some new blood coming in,” Smith said. “The lion’s share of the audience is people who have never been to a concert before. It’s great! Now I can tell old stories instead of new material.”

Smith’s films are known for their racy and sarcastic content, so he’s perpetually surprised when fans at his Q&As talk about the impact his films have had on their lives. He mentioned a recent appearance in Cincinnati when a man talked about how he and his grandmother bonded over Smith’s films and that after her death, events like Smith’s sessions take her back to a moment in time.

“It’s not just saying, ‘We saw your movies once,’ or whatever,” Smith said. “You realize you’re part of the fabric of this family quilt.”

That passion sometimes catches Smith off guard. “It’s Mallrats, I can’t believe that movie means anything to you,” he said, referring to his follow-up failure “Clerks.” But for some fans, he added, even that movie “is their lifeline in a rough sea.”

Making money making movies is great, but now that he’s in his 50s, Smith says it’s not the main thing.

“The older I get, the more interested I am in what currency is making me the most money,” Smith said. “Having that attention on stage for a few hours, that’s it.”

If you go

WHAT:An Evening with Kevin Smith

WHEN: 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturday, August 31

OR:Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington

INFORMATION: $40 in advance, $45 day of show at 10 p.m.; 7 p.m. show is sold out. www.highergroundmusic.com

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at [email protected].