Notes for Jerome
Directed by Jonas Mekas
Written by Jonas Mekas
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.
Watch NowCast
Jerome Hill
Self
Jonas Mekas
Self
Taylor Mead
Self
Bernadette Lafont
Self
Charles Rydell
Self
Barbara Stone
Self
Noël Burch
Self
Judith Malina
Self
Julian Beck
Self
P. Adams Sitney
Self
Jean-Jacques Lebel
Self
Alec Wilder
Self
