Ep664: The Slowdown: Feel Like Mekas Love

Today, Ian and Sujewa get personal with a look at Jonas Mekas' 2012 film, Out-Takes from the Life of a Happy Man. The hour-plus assemblage of footage from the prototypical film diarist's life paints a portrait of a well-traveled creative person. But is there something deeper, even contradictory, in Mekas' visually cheerful account of artistic pursuits?

The guys talk about Mekas as a director; his influence on arthouse cinema; and what young filmmakers can learn from the old master, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 96.

Also, Sujewa gives an update on his forthcoming movie, The Secret Society for Slow Romance!

"The Slowdown" is Kicking the Seat's monthly exploration of the world of Slow Cinema with filmmaker Sujewa Ekanayake. Catch up on previous episodes on our "The Slowdown" Playlist.

Show Links:

• Watch the Out-Takes from the Life of a Happy Man trailer.

• Check out the Re: Voir page on Vimeo, where you can find more Jonas Mekas films.

• Learn more about New York's Anthology Film Archive, which Mekas co-founded in 1970.

• Find clips, making-of videos, and other cool info about Sujewa's upcoming film, The Secret Society for Slow Romance.

• Keep up with all of Sujewa's projects.

• Subscribe to, like, and comment on the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel!