Special Event: Filmmaker Jon Jost In Person
FilmScene is proud to host renowned filmmaker and digital video artist Jon Jost. Jost will present two of his feature films on Sunday, November 16 with intro and Q&A.
Free for FilmScene members. $5 for the general public. Tickets available at the Box Office day of show. Please join us for this special visit; you're welcome to come for either or both films!
ABOUT JON JOST: Maverick experimental filmmaker Jon Jost is among the most innovative and influential independent directors in contemporary cinema; dubbed "the American Godard" by critics, his singular creative approach -- equal parts elliptical narrative sensibility, ravishing visual style, and potent socio-political commentary -- emerged as one of the most unique and provocative voices of its time. Born in Chicago, Jost is the product of a military upbringing, and was raised in areas of the globe ranging from Kansas to Japan to Germany. Expelled from college in 1963, he made his first 16mm short subjects a short time later; a self-taught filmmaker, he not only wrote and directed all of his subsequent feature work, but also serves as his own photographer and editor. In 1991, Jost was the subject of a complete retrospective held at the Museum of Modern Art; other honors included being named the first recipient of the John Cassavetes Award for lifetime achievement handed out at the Independent Spirit Awards.
1pm - LAST CHANTS FOR A SLOW DANCE
Included in 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, as well as noted film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum's Top 100 American Films. Jost's first feature follows a jobless drifter (Tom Blair) as his search for work ironically allows him to avoid his familial responsibilities at home. An exploration of interpersonal disconnectedness with a shocking conclusion, this "terminal road movie" (in Jost’s own words) was shot on 16mm and made for less than $3,000 in 1977.
3pm - COMING TO TERMS
After hitting his 50th anniversary as a filmmaker in 2013, Jost wonders whether there had been any point in it all. "Coming to Terms" is the indirect answer to that question featuring acclaimed experimental filmmaker James Benning as an aging father who calls his broken family back together. Conversations between family members are juxtaposed with tranquil, deserted shots of houses and streets in an undefined American city. As Jost says, "While not evident on the surface, the film is intended as a portrait of a larger family--that of America." Official Selection, 2014 International Film Festival Rotterdam.