Jon Jost has directed dozens of films over an approximately 50-year career. His films span documentary, narrative, experimental, and personal essay, often existing in the spaces between genres, and he has shot a range of formats. Jost is known for his commitment to true independence, choosing to work small and, along with that, focus his subjects on people who rarely find their stories told onscreen.
This video draws from three of his early fiction features — Last Chants for a Slow Dance (1977), Slow Moves (1983), and Bell Diamond (1986) — to illustrate questions that Jost has repeatedly asked the independent film world over the years, though that world has yet to take up his questions in any sustained way.
Watch Jost’s 1973 personal essay film, Speaking Directly, at the IU Cinema on Saturday, March 7 at 7 pm as part of the Underground Film Series.
Laura Ivins loves stop motion, home movies, imperfect films, nature hikes, and Stephen Crane’s poetry. She has a PhD from Indiana University and an MFA from Boston University. In addition to watching and writing about movies, sometimes she also makes them.