His major contribution to the movement came in 1965 with his astonishing directorial debut, Intimate Lighting. After the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, Passer fled to the United States, where he resumed his film career. Among his U.S. films are Born to Win, Law and Disorder, and the critically acclaimed Cutter’s Way. Stalin, which he directed for HBO, won three Golden Globes and four Emmys.