TWO NIGHTS ONLY:
May 9 at 7:30 PM
May 10 at 7:30 PM (https://www.facebook.com/events/1066498833424076/)
Written by Stephen Winter, Sarah Schulman, and Jack Waters. Cinematography and editing by Ned Stresen-Reuter. Production design and costumes by Bizzy Barefoot. Music by Drew Brody. With Jack Waters, Sarah Schulman, Tristan Cowen, Eamon Fahey, Tony Torn, Peter Cramer, Mike Bailey-Gates, Bryan Webster, Denise Dixon, and Orran Farmer. Special thanks to Jake Perlin. These screenings are co-presen...
TWO NIGHTS ONLY:
May 9 at 7:30 PM
May 10 at 7:30 PM (https://www.facebook.com/events/1066498833424076/)
Written by Stephen Winter, Sarah Schulman, and Jack Waters. Cinematography and editing by Ned Stresen-Reuter. Production design and costumes by Bizzy Barefoot. Music by Drew Brody. With Jack Waters, Sarah Schulman, Tristan Cowen, Eamon Fahey, Tony Torn, Peter Cramer, Mike Bailey-Gates, Bryan Webster, Denise Dixon, and Orran Farmer. Special thanks to Jake Perlin. These screenings are co-presented by MIX Fest, the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, and The Tenth Magazine.
December, 1966: Jason Holliday, a fabulous, trailblazing, but downtrodden black, gay, middle-aged hustler and aspiring cabaret performer whose life revolved around sex, good times, and narcotics was known throughout New York’s pre-Stonewall gay society and the jazz world as the hottest mess around. Shirley Clarke was Jewish, wealthy, brilliant, an Oscar-winner, and a rare female film director to gain national prominence. She invited Jason to her penthouse in the legendary Chelsea Hotel to film him telling wild stories from his turbulent life, determined to find a groundbreaking ‘truth’ in documentary. That evening resulted in Clarke’s notorious film, PORTRAIT OF JASON (1967) – hailed as a revolutionary work of documentary filmmaking – in which Jason tells stories of racism, homophobia, abuse, and prostitution, to Shirley and her partner in art and life, the riveting but troubled black actor Carl Lee, who seems to gleefully push Jason towards a tangled emotional breakdown.
What really happened that day? What was the true nature of Jason’s relationship with Shirley and Carl? And what sort of power dynamics existed between Jason and his off-screen observers? Written by its director Stephen Winter, along with novelist and playwright Sarah Schulman and filmmaker and artist Jack Waters, JASON AND SHIRLEY is graced by an astonishing lead performance by Waters that triumphantly transcends impersonation to bring Jason Holliday back to life with uncanny authenticity and immediacy. Winter’s film incorporates dreams, musical numbers, and period-specific video imagery to speculate upon what might have occurred during those 12 hours at the Chelsea Hotel, and to meditate upon the power dynamics and representational ethics that underlie documentary ‘truth.’
“JASON AND SHIRLEY is the best possible thing that could happen to PORTRAIT OF JASON. For generations of queer men of color who have been horrified by Holliday’s on-screen fate, [it] offers a reinvention of a historical moment that sought to consign them to the roles of mascots and scapegoats. Once disposable, in Winter’s able hands Holliday returns, available for reinvention.” –Tavia Nyong’o, THE GUARDIAN
“A tsunami of ideas and emotions that upends all received notions about power, race, sexuality, and art. The lovechild of Cassavetes and Spike Lee is Stephen Winter.” –John Cameron Mitchell
“That rare film that manages to be even better than its brilliant concept. Winter effortlessly balances a kaleidoscope of histories – of the avant-garde, and the birth of independent cinema, of NYC downtown, and black, and queer cultures – with cinematic lightness and razor sharp humor. One of the most original and rewarding movies I’ve seen in years.” –Ira Sachs
Stephen Winter, Jack Waters, and members of the cast will be here in person for both screenings, and will be joined by Sarah Schulman on May 9!
Tickets are available at Anthology's box office on the day of the show only. The box office opens 30 minutes before the first show of the day. There are no advance ticket sales. Reservations are available to Anthology members only.