Jonas Mekas

Jonas Mekas (1922 - ) is a Lithuanian filmmaker, writer, and curator who has often been called "the godfather of American avant-garde cinema." He was the founder of the Anthology Film Archives, the Filmmaker's Cooperative and Film Culture magazine. He wrote film reviews for Village Voice since 1958. He was heavily involved with artists such as Andy Warhol, Nico, Yoko Ono, John Lennon, Salvador Dali and fellow Lithuanian George Maciunas.

Related Topics:
1922 - Lithuanian - Filmmaker - Avant-garde cinema - Anthology Film Archives - Filmmaker's Cooperative - Film Culture - Village Voice - Andy Warhol - Nico - Yoko Ono - John Lennon - Salvador Dali - George Maciunas

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During the Second World War, Mekas was held in displaced persons camps before emigrating to the United States with his brother, Adolfas Mekas, in 1949.

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Though his narrative films and documentaries are still highly regarded, he is best known for his diary films, such as Walden (1969), Lost, Lost, Lost (1975), Reminiscences of a Voyage to Lithuania (1972), and Zefiro Torna (1992). In 2001, he released a five-hour long diary film entitled As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty, assembled by hand from an archive of fifty years worth of recordings of his life.

Related Topics:
Walden - 1969 - Lost, Lost, Lost - 1975 - Reminiscences of a Voyage to Lithuania - 1972 - Zefiro Torna - 1992 - 2001 - As I Was Moving Ahead, Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty

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He is also a highly regarded poet in Lithuania.

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Peter Sempel filmed Jonas Mekas in a film "Jonas in the desert" (1994).

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