Beginning in the late 1970's, 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 did so across mediums - utilizing not only film, but sculpture, drawing, photography, and performance. The cinematic impulse was evidenced in the high art of Jack Goldstein, Robert Longo, and Cindy Sherman, and in the film practices of "No Wave" filmmakers Amos Poe and Vivienne Dick, and 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.