Category: Narrative Feature
Year: 1953
Run Time: 80 min
Credits: Directors/Writers: Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin, Ray Ashley | Cast: Richie Andrusco, Ricky Brewster

Synopsis: Widely regarded as one of the most influential and enjoyable films of the American independent cinema, LITTLE FUGITIVE is an utterly charming fable that poetically captures the joys and wonders of childhood. When a seven-year-old boy (Richie Andrusco) is tricked into believing he killed his older brother, he gathers his meager possessions and flees to New York’s nether wonderland: Coney Island. Upon and beneath the crowded boardwalk, Joey experiences a day and night filled with adventures and mysteries, resulting in a film that is refreshingly spontaneous and thoroughly delightful.

Hailed by critics as a groundbreaking cinematic feat, LITTLE FUGITIVE played in nearly 5,000 theatres in the U.S. and is now recognized as a classic of American independent film.

"Our New Wave would never have come into being if it hadn't been for the young American Morris Engel, who showed us the way to independent production with his fine movie, LITTLE FUGITIVE."
--Francois Truffaut

Awards: Silver Lion, Venice Film Festival; Academy Award Nominee, Best Writing-Motion Picture Story; National Film Registry Selection