Jon Jost
Biography
Jon Stephen Jost (born 16 May 1943 in Chicago) is an American independent filmmaker. Born in Chicago to a military family, he grew up in Georgia, Kansas, Japan, Italy, Germany and Virginia. He began making films in January 1963 after being expelled from college. In 1965 he was imprisoned by US authorities for 2 years 3 months for refusal to cooperate with the Selective Service system. Self-taught as a filmmaker, he made his first full-length film in 1974, and has since that time focused on a wide range of American issues in his films, at present having made 40 long-form films. Jost's work has shown since 1976 in major film festivals around the world.
Known For & Full Filmography11 Titles
Movie - 1991, 2h 15m • as Self
This film is a record of the first Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. It reflects the various ways the festival was given shape by nascent global changes embodied by Perestroika, the Tiananmen Square massacre, and many other contemporaneous events.
Movie - 1993, 2h 15m • as Self
A Paul Joyce documentary on the American independent film scene.
Movie - 1994, 2h 15m • as Drummer
Teenage London is trying to find meaning in the world, or a leather jacket of her own. Unaccepted by neither the Mods or the Asian biker gang, she tries to find her own path. Meanwhile, the two gangs maintain a mutual vendetta sure to erupt in a smorgasbord of violence.
Movie - 2024, 2h 15m • as Voice of Silvio Narizzano
Perhaps at first glance, the filmography of Silvio Narizzano appears unremarkable. Thanks to his sleeper hit Georgy Girl (1966), he's known largely as a "one-hit wonder" director. Upon closer inspection, however, likely no other filmmaker used cinema as effectively to exorcise personal demons in ways both ugly and beautiful. And few directors' sensibilities were more gay, both overtly and covertly. Film historian Daniel Kremer is your tour guide through an obscure, perplexing body of work heretofore ignored and often unfairly shunned. Cruel, Usual, Necessary: The Passion of Silvio Narizzano is an essay documentary of discovery.
Movie - 1981, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
As night falls, the receptionist of a small hotel dutifully performs her routine tasks while strange lodgers descend upon the dark corners of the inn.
Movie - 2014, 2h 15m • as Burl Enright
Empire Prairie, where Lonnie Enright grew up. He's headed home now, to see his ailing father and little brother. Bad things are coming.
Movie - 1978, 2h 15m • as Ranger
A scathing portrait of the Hollywood/LA arts milieu of the late 70’s, Chameleon follows the amorphous day of its lead character, an Armani-jacketed peddler of high-class dope, fraudulent art, and preening postures suited-to-fit the changing victims, though as with all such fakery, the real victim in the long run is the person who lives such a life.
Movie - 2019, 2h 15m • as Himself
A film that Jon Jost dedicated to his daughter Clara, an artistically designed home movie and at the same time a look back at his life, mostly commented off-screen by Jon Jost. He used the technology of the digital camera which contrasts nicely with his newly discovered love for watercolor painting.
Movie - 1983, 2h 15m • as Man Behind Counter
A bluesy lyrical romance of two ugly-ducklings who meet on the Golden Gate Bridge and after a brief and awkward courtship, live together with the usual problems of money and work, take flight to an illusory freedom on the road, and dances inexorably to a drab doom.
Movie - 1968, 2h 15m • as Man
A young draft resister finds peace and love in the country, but his solution to the problems of the city may very well be a naive dream.
Movie - 2023, 2h 15m • as himself
Caveh gets stoned. Jon Jost doesn't.