Notes for Jerome (1978)

Plot

A tribute to Jonas Mekas' late friend and patron, Jerome Hill. Filmed on 16mm across three visits to Hill’s estate in Cassis, France, the film plays out as a tender visual diary of memory, passing time, and artistic exile. While the film focuses on daily life rather than explicit sexuality, it breathes with queer history. Hill was a closeted gay philanthropist who used his immense wealth to shelter and fund underground, heavily queer creatives. Mekas captures the warm, intimate atmosphere of this sanctuary, featuring legendary gay avant-garde icons like Warhol superstar Taylor Mead and actor Charles Rydell. Dedicated "to the wind of Lithuania" and featured in the 1979 Whitney Biennial, the film ultimately stands as a beautifully soft, authentic time capsule of a safe haven built by and for mid-century queer radicals.

Cast

• Jerome HillSelf
• Jonas MekasSelf
• Taylor MeadSelf
• Bernadette LafontSelf
• Charles RydellSelf
• Barbara StoneSelf
• Noël BurchSelf
• Judith MalinaSelf
• Julian BeckSelf
• P. Adams SitneySelf
• Jean-Jacques LebelSelf
• Alec WilderSelf

Images

Tags