Jim Jarmusch Interview: How Jonas Mekas Expanded the Possibilities of Film

Director Jim Jarmusch describes Jonas Mekas as an instigator and a source of inspiration. He emphasizes Mekas’s role in expanding the possibilities of film, and likens him to a "pirate king". Jarmusch also reflects on the significance of spaces like Cinémathèque and Anthology Film Archives in showcasing experimental works in a time when access to alternative cinema was limited.

Jim Jarmusch was born in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, in 1953. He was introduced to film early on by his mother, who was once a film and theater reviewer for the Akron Beacon Journal. By his teen years, he fell into counterculture arthouse movies. In 1971, Jarmusch moved to Chicago to study journalism at Northwestern, then transferred to Columbia University, where he studied literature to become a poet. During his final year at school, he moved to Paris on an exchange program for 10 months, during which time he became obsessed with films from around the world. He then returned to NYC to study film at NYU Tisch. He never graduated and ended up using his tuition money to help finance his first feature, “Permanent Vacation.” His 1984 film “Stranger than Paradise” broke many conventions of traditional Hollywood filmmaking and became an important work in modern independent film. It won the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1984, and in 2002, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Jamusch’s filmography includes twelve feature films, two documentaries, six music videos, and four short films. He also works in other areas of filmmaking, including producing, acting, editing, writing, and composing. Jarmusch has also released three albums with JOzef van Wissem and three EPs with his rock band SQÜRL.

From the 2022 Documentary FRAGMENTS OF PARADISE about Lithuanian filmmaker, Jonas Mekas. From his arrival in New York as a displaced person in 1949 to his death in 2019, he chronicled the trauma and loss of exile while pioneering institutions to support the growth of independent film in the United States. Internationally known as the “godfather” of avant-garde cinema, he inspired countless independent artists.

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Chapter Markers:
00:00 - Opening
00:09 - Jim Jarmusch Introduction
00:41 - Relationship to Jonas Mekas and militant filmmaking
04:37 - The “suicide machine of capitalism” and creativity
07:07 - Jonas in the Village Voice and his notoriety in the 70s
09:28 - Importance of screening venues and opportunities
14:29 - Jonas’ diaristic sensibilities
15:50 - Categorizing influence and avant garde cinema as “film poems”
18:25 - Jim’s early avant garde films and recounting Jonas’ films
21:10 - Celebrating the mundane and absurdity of daily life
23:48 - On Britney Spears and hanging out with Jonas
26:37 - Shooting scenes from Coffee and Cigarettes
28:54 - Importance of Anthology Film Archive
32:47 - Archiving work
33:54 - Jonas’ ability to build community
36:38 - Jim as an “amateur”
38:50 - Improvisational filmmaking style
41:05 - Last time with Jonas
43:18 - What to learn from Jonas
46:59 - Jonas’ displacement and filmmaking
49:15 - Loving cinema is important

Jim Jarmusch, Filmmaker
Interview Date: August 24, 2021
Interviewed By: Katie Davison

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