Film Screenings / Programs / Retrospectives
JONAS MEKAS TURNS 90!
December 17 – December 23
This December marks the 90th birthday of Jonas Mekas – renowned filmmaker, critic, and co-founder of many of the foundational institutions of the NY underground film movement (the Film-Maker’s Coop, the Film-Makers’ Cinematheque, Film Culture Magazine, and Anthology itself). To mark this momentous occasion we’ve assembled a series showcasing lesser-known and more rarely-screened works from Jonas’s long and varied filmmaking career. For more than 50 years Jonas has pioneered the ‘film diary’ form, chronicled many of the most important events, scenes, and figures of his time (including John Lennon, Jackie Onassis, Allen Ginsberg, Andy Warhol, and many others), and made dozens of film and videos lasting anywhere from a couple minutes to almost 5 hours in length.
While Jonas’s work is regularly exhibited in NYC and throughout the world (retrospectives are planned this fall at both the Pompidou in Paris and the National Film Theatre in London), some of his most accomplished and fascinating movies remain in the shadows. While still only scratching the surface, these programs demonstrate the breadth and depth of his career and include everything from epic film diaries to recent web shorts. Of particular interest is the NYC premiere of his 2005 video documenting Martin Scorsese at work, and his most recent feature opus, MY PARIS MOVIE.
To further celebrate Jonas’s decades of tireless work on behalf of independent film, we've invited several guests to introduce particular screenings, and to share their thoughts on Jonas and his accomplishments:
--Tony Conrad will introduce the 7:30 screening of HE STANDS IN A DESERT... on Tues, Dec 18
--Amy Taubin will introduce the 7:30 screening of LOST LOST LOST on Wed, Dec 19
--Ken Jacobs will introduce both screenings on Thurs, Dec 20 (16 WEB VIDEOS at 7:00 and SELECTIONS FROM THE 365 DAY PROJECT at 8:45)
--P. Adams Sitney will introduce the 6:00 screening of AS I WAS MOVING AHEAD... on Sun, Dec 23
