Antecedents: 1910–1920s
The forerunners of art films include Italian silent film L'Inferno (1911), D. W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916) and the works of Russian filmmaker See more

Film scholar David Bordwell outlined the academic definition of "art film" in a 1979 article entitled "The Art Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice", which contrasts art films with the mainstream … See more

The following list is a small, partial sample of films with "art film" qualities, compiled to give a general sense of what directors and films are considered to have "art film" characteristics. The … See more

Arthouse television
Quality artistic television, a television genre or style which shares some of the same traits as art films, has been identified. Television … See more

There are scholars who point out that mass market films such as those produced in Hollywood appeal to a less discerning audience. This group … See more

Criticisms of art films include being too pretentious and self-indulgent for mainstream audiences.
LA Weekly film … See more

Art films have been part of popular culture from animated sitcoms like The Simpsons and Clone High spoofing and satirizing them to even the comedic film review webseries Brows … See more