Beginning in the late 1970s, a number of visual artists in downtown New York City returned to an exploration of the cinematic. They engaged cinematic movement, time, and the body in their work, and they did so across mediums, utilizing not only film, but sculpture, drawing, photography, and performance. This cinematic impulse was evident in the high art of Jack Goldstein, Robert Longo, and Cindy Sherman, in the film practices of 'No Wave' filmmakers Amos Poe and Vivienne Dick, and in the feature films of Kathryn Bigelow. Vera Dika considers the work within a greater cultural context and probes for a deeper understanding of the practice.