Kevin Smith Reveals The Letter That Changed His Life

Before he was a fan-favorite filmmaker, Kevin Smith was just like the rest of us. Prior to Clerks [...]

By Adam Barnhardt

Before he was a fan-favorite filmmaker, Kevin Smith was just like the rest of us. Prior to Clerks becoming a cult classic, Smith was trying to anything within his power to get the film distributed. The director finally caught a break when Clerks was accepted as an entry into 1994 Sundance Film Festival.

Today, Smith took to Twitter to share an image of the letter he received informing him of Clerks acceptance into the festival celebrating the indie film circuit.

"This is the letter that changed my life: an official acceptance notice from @sundancefest for Clerks," Smith explained as he posted the letter to the popular micro-blogging platform.

"Weeks before I got this, even though the film was dead with no future, I still kept telling myself 'I am a filmmaker.' Weeks after I got this, I wouldn't be alone in that belief."

After debuting at Sundance, Clerks — which was shot on a budget of $27,575 — went on to gross over $3 million in theaters effectively launching Smiths' career as a filmmaker. The black and white film eventually spawned a sequel in 2006. Clerks II — which debuted at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival — made $27 million worldwide on a $5 million budget.

As for Smith personally, life's looking up. The fan-favorite filmmaker recently posted a selfie after he lost nearly 50 pounds after suffering a near-fatal heart attack earlier this year.

Smith is currently at work on Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, which is expected to start shooting later this year. The film, which is a sequel, remake, and reboot of Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back all at the same time, centers on the pair heading to Hollywood in an attempt to prevent the Bluntman & Chronic movie reboot -- a nod to the first film's plot, which centered around the pair attempting to stop the original Bluntman & Chronic movie from being made.

Are you a fan of Clerks? What's your favorite Kevin Smith movie? Let us know in the comments below.

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