Notes for Jerome
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.
Cast
Jerome Hill
as Self
Jonas Mekas
as Self
Taylor Mead
as Self
Bernadette Lafont
as Self
Charles Rydell
as Self
Barbara Stone
as Self
Noël Burch
as Self
Judith Malina
as Self
Julian Beck
as Self
P. Adams Sitney
as Self
