jonas_mekas_resizedJonas Mekas (Semeniškia, 24 dicembre 1922) è uno scrittore, poeta, critico e regista cinematografico d'avanguardia, fondatore e direttore artistico della Film - Makers' Cooperative (conosciuta anche come The New American Cinema Group). Dopo gli studi a Biržai, inizia a collaborare con il giornale locale e con lo studio teatrale di Juozas Miltinis. Nel 1944 lascia la Lituania per partecipare ai corsi dell'Università di Vienna, ma durante il viaggio il treno viene bloccato in Germania e Jonas Mekas col fratello Adolfas vengono imprigionati nel campo di lavoro di Elmshorn (Amburgo) per otto mesi. I due fratelli riescono a fuggire e si nascondono in una fattoria al confine con la Danimarca per 2 mesi, fino alla fine della guerra. Esordisce come scrittore nel 1946 con un libro di fiabe, scritto insieme al fratello Adolfas e intitolato Trys broliai ir kitos pasakos (Tre fratelli e altre fiabe). Dal 1946 al 1948 Mekas studia filosofia all'Università di Mainz e prende parte alle attività culturali dei rifugiati lituani (i DP — displaced persons). Alla fine del 1949 i due fratelli Mekas si trasferiscono negli Stati Uniti (Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York). Due settimane dopo il suo arrivo negli USA Mekas si fa prestare i soldi necessari all'acquisto della sua prima Bolex 16-mm (la stessa che poi Warhol volle adottare) e inizia a riprendere momenti della sua vita.

Nel tempo Mekas diventa una figura di riferimento del movimento d’arte sperimentale Fluxus, è caporedattore della rivista Film Culture e scrive per la rivista cinematografica Kino žurnalas; nel 1962 fonda con altri la cooperativa Film - Makers’ Cooperative FMC e nel 1964 la Filmmakers’ Cinémathèque, che in seguito crebbe e confluì nell’organizzazione Anthology Film Archives. Incontra, collabora e diviene amico con artisti di fama mondiale come Andy Warhol, Nico, Allen Ginsberg, Salvador Dalì, George Maciunas, Bruce Nauman, Yoko Ono e John Lennon. Pur essendo principalmente famoso per la straordinaria attività cinematografica, Mekas si autodefinisce un poeta e uno scrittore lituano, nel corso della sua lunga carriera ha scritto numerose raccolte di racconti, poesie, diari e saggi.

Il 10 Novembre 2007 apre lo Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center a Vilnius. http://mekas.lt/

 

 

 

Premi e riconoscimenti:

  • Guggenheim Fellowship (1966)
  • Creative Arts Award, Brandeis University (1977)
  • Mel Novikoff Award, San Francisco Film Festival (1989)
  • Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres, Ministry of Culture, France (1992)
  • Lithuanian National Award, Lithuania (1995)
  • Doctor of Fine Arts, Honoris Causa, Kansas City Art Institute (1996)
  • Special Tribute, New York Film Critics Circle Awards (1996)
  • Pier Paolo Pasolini Award, Paris (1997)
  • International Documentary Film Association Award, Los Angeles (1997)
  • Governors Award from the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine (1997)
  • Atrium Doctoris Honoris Causa, Universitatis Vytauti Magni, Lithuania (1997)
  • Represented Lithuania at the 51st International Art Exhibition Venice Biennial (2006)
  • United States National Film Preservation Board selects "Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania" for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry (2006)
  • Los Angeles Film Critics Association's Award (2007)
  • Austrian Decoration of Honour for Science and Art (2008)
  • Baltic Cultural Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to the field of Arts and Science (2008)

 

Filmografia:

  • Guns of the Trees (1962)
  • Film Magazine of the Arts (1963)
  • The Brig (1964)
  • Award Presentation to Andy Warhol (1964)
  • Report from Millbrook (1964–65)
  • Hare Krishna (1966)
  • Notes on the Circus (1966)
  • Cassis (1966)
  • The Italian Notebook (1967)
  • Time and Fortune Vietnam Newsreel (1968)
  • Walden (Diaries, Notes, and Sketches) (1969)
  • Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania (1971–72)
  • Lost, Lost, Lost (1976)
  • In Between: 1964–8 (1978)
  • Notes for Jerome (1978)
  • Paradise Not Yet Lost (also known as Oona's Third Year) (1979)
  • Street Songs (1966/1983)
  • Cups/Saucers/Dancers/Radio (1965/1983)
  • Erik Hawkins: Excerpts from “Here and Now with Watchers”/Lucia Dlugoszewski Performs (1983)
  • He Stands in a Desert Counting the Seconds of His Life (1969/1985)
  • Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol (1990)
  • Mob of Angels/The Baptism (1991)
  • Dr. Carl G. Jung or Lapis Philosophorum (1991)
  • Quartet Number One (1991)
  • Mob of Angels at St. Ann (1992)
  • Zefiro Torna or Scenes from the Life of George Maciunas (1992)
  • The Education of Sebastian or Egypt Regained (1992)
  • He Travels. In Search of... (1994)
  • Imperfect 3-Image Films (1995)
  • On My Way to Fujiyama I Met… (1995)
  • Happy Birthday to John (1996)
  • Memories of Frankenstein (1996)
  • Birth of a Nation (1997)
  • Scenes from Allen's Last Three Days on Earth as a Spirit (1997)
  • Letter from Nowhere – Laiskas is Niekur N.1 (1997)
  • Symphony of Joy (1997)
  • Song of Avignon (1998)
  • Laboratorium (1999)
  • Autobiography of a Man Who Carried his Memory in his Eyes (2000)
  • This Side of Paradise (1999)
  • Notes on Andy's Factory (1999)
  • Mysteries (1966–2001)
  • As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)
  • Remedy for Melancholy (2000)
  • Ein Maerchen (2001)
  • Williamsburg, Brooklyn (1950–2003)
  • Mozart & Wein and Elvis (2000)
  • Travel Songs (1967–1981)
  • Dedication to Leger (2003)
  • Notes on Utopia (2003) 30 min
  • Letter from Greenpoint (2004)
  • 365 Day Project (2007), 30 hours
  • Notes on American Film Director: Martin Scorsese (2007), 80 minutes

 

Bibliografia:

  • Žmogus be vietos: nervuoti dienoraščiai (Displaced Person: Nervous Diaries) : [memorie]. Vilnius: Baltos lankos, 2000
  • Trys broliai ir kitos pasakos (Tre fratelli e altre fiabe). Wiesbaden: Giedra, 1946
  • Iš pasakų krašto (From the Land of Tales): [selected fairy-tales of different nations]. Wiesbaden: Giedra, 1947
  • Knyga apie karalius ir žmones (The Book on Kings and Men): [novelle]. Tübingen: Patria, 1947
  • Semeniškių idilės (The Idylls of Semeniškiai): [memorie]. Kassel: Žvilgsniai, 1948
  • Semeniškių idilės (The Idylls of Semeniškiai): [memorie]. 2nd edition. Brooklyn, 1955
  • Gėlių kalbėjimas () [poesia]. Chicago: Santara, 1961.
  • Pavieniai žodžiai (Disjoined Words): [poesia]. Chicago: A. Mackaus Book Publishing Foundation, 1967
  • Poezija (Poesia). Vilnius: Vaga, 1971
  • Reminiscensijos [poesia]. New York: Fluxus, 1972.
  • Dienoraščiai, 1970-1982 (Diari, 1970-1982). New York: Žvilgsniai, 1985
  • Knyga apie karalius ir žmones (The Book on Kings and Men): [novelle]. Kaunas: Humanitas, 1994
  • Laiškai iš Niekur (The Letters from Nowhere). Vilnius: Baltos lankos, 1997
  • Semeniškių idilės (The Idylls of Semeniškiai): [memorie]. 3th edition. Vilnius: Baltos lankos, 1997
  • Dienų raštai (Weaving of Days): [poesie]. Vilnius: Baltos lankos, 1998
  • Trys draugai (Three friends): [poesie]. Vilnius: Baltos lankos, 1998
  • Displaced Person: Nervous Diaries. Vilnius: Baltos lankos, 2000
  • Poezija (Poetry) [poesie]. Vilnius: Lithuanian Writers' Union Publishers, 2002
  • Lithuania and the Collapse of USSR (2008), 4 hours 50 minutes.

 


 

foto: A portrait of Jonas Mekas, shot at the Fondazione Ragghianti in Lucca in 2008 by Furio Detti

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