The Female Gaze
Portrait of Jason Shirley Clarke
Portrait of Jason is a two-hour monologue of Jason Holliday, a forty-year-old gay black man. Talking about his life, he constantly hesitates between self-pity and an unlimited optimism. He talks about his employers, lovers, parents and friends, and about his ambition to be a star. He is a cabaret artist known for his impersonation of Mae West. Shirley Clarke, who gave up her dancing career to become a filmmaker in 1953, shot Portrait of Jason on a single night on the roof of the famous Chelsea Hotel in New York. We can hear her voice in the background, soft and indistinct, giving directions to the cameraman and sound man and asking Jason questions. The film is focused on this single man: the camera records every expression, movement and reaction of what seems to be a direct confrontation between the director and her subject. Despite his boldness, Jason ends up a broken man at the end of the film, after all the layers have been peeled off. Portrait of Jason is a splendid example of documentary filming and psychology. Jason’s unusual stories are full of self-mockery, and the irony he gives to them with a mere facial expression are an invitation to the audience to reconsider their own views on society once more.
USA, 1967 DCP, black-and-white, 105 min Director: Shirley Clarke Cinematography: Jery Sapanen Editing: Shirley Clarke Sound: Francis Daniel Production: Shirley Clarke Screening Copy: Milestone Film & Video
Shirley Clarke:
Dance in the Sun (1954) In Paris Parks (1955) Bullfight (1955) A Moment in Love (1957) A Scary time (1960) The Connection (1961) The Cool World/Harlem Story/Echoes of the Jungle (1963) a.o.
Profession: Documentarist Herfeh: Mostanad
Nahid Rezaei, Shirin Barghnavard, Firouzeh Khosrovani, Mina Keshavarz, Farahnaz Sharifi, Sepideh Abtahi “We Iranian documentary directors have movies that can only be made in our minds. Sometimes, we tell them to each other.” These are the words of Farahnaz, one of the seven female documentary makers whose voices are heard in Profession: Documentarist. This intimate ensemble piece comprises seven personal stories that had to be left untold following the Islamic Revolution in 1979. In diary style, they raise issues that deeply impact everyday life, but are nonetheless “prohibited” in the country. The contributors also reflect on their clandestine existence and the importance of film as a medium. Shirin talks about the “silent” war that goes unreported in today’s deceptively calm Tehran. Firouzeh discusses the fear felt by filmmakers living under censorship. Farahnaz shows how music has disappeared from public life since women were forbidden to sing. Mina explains how one by one most of her friends have left to go abroad. Sepideh describes the disenchantment of her youth, beginning with the death of her aunt on the day of the Revolution. Sahar reflects on her view from the window of a prison, and Nahid shares her thoughts about solidarity and hope despite setbacks and increasing restrictions. The soundtrack consists of music banned in Iran, by Iranian pop icon Googoosh and others.
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Iran, 2014 DCP, color, 80 min Director: Nahid Rezaei, Firouzeh Khosrovani, Shirin Barghnavard, Firouzeh Khosrovani, Mina Keshavarz, Farahnaz Sharifi, Sepideh Abtahi Screenplay: Shirin Barghnavard, Firouzeh Khosrovani, Farahnaz Sharifi, Mina Keshavarz Editing: Farahnaz Sharifi, Shirin Barghnavard, Nahid Rezaei, Sepideh Abtahi Production: Nahid Rezaei for The Kingdom, Shirin Barghnavard Screening Copy: The Kingdom
Awards: Tim Hetherington Award Sheffield Doc/Fest