Notes for Jerome (1978)
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.
Director: Jonas Mekas
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Jerome Hill as Self |
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Jonas Mekas as Self |
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Taylor Mead as Self |
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Bernadette Lafont as Self |
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Charles Rydell as Self |
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Barbara Stone as Self |
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Noël Burch as Self |
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Judith Malina as Self |
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Julian Beck as Self |
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P. Adams Sitney as Self |
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Jean-Jacques Lebel as Self |
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Alec Wilder as Self |
| Directing | Jonas Mekas | Director |
| Crew | Jonas Mekas | Cinematography |
| Writing | Jonas Mekas | Writer |
