A selection of shorts from Lithuanian-American filmmaker, poet and artist Jonas Mekas, who is seen by many as ‘the godfather of American avant-garde cinema.’ With many familiar faces including Andy Warhol, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, this programme provides a fascinating snapshot of Mekas’s world.
This screening is organised in collaboration with the Lithuanian Cultural Attaché in the UK and the Lithuanian Culture Institute.
Films screening:
Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol: Friendships and Intersections, 1990, 35 min
Scenes from the Life chronicles not only Andy Warhol, but also the social and cultural excitement that swirled around him, throbbing to a hypnotic Velvet Underground beat.
Zefiro Torna or Scenes from the Life of George Maciunas, 1992, 35 min
“Bits of Fluxus events and performances, and picnics with friends (Almus, Andy Warhol, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, etc.), George’s wedding and footage I took of him in Boston hospital three days before he died.” – Jonas Mekas
Happy Birthday to John, 1995, 24 min
“On October 9th, 1972, half of the music world gathered in Syracuse, N.Y., to celebrate the opening of John Lennon/Yoko Ono Fluxus show, designed by George Maciunas. Same day, a smaller group gathered in a local hotel room to celebrate John’s birthday.” – Jonas Mekas
This Side of Paradise, 1999, 35 min
“I had the fortune to spend some time, mostly during the summers, with Jackie Kennedy’s and her sister Lee Radziwill’s families and children. Cinema was an integral, inseparable, as a matter of fact, a key part of our friendship.” – Jonas Mekas
