Isaac Julien
brings the queer auteur's life and work back to the big
screen with his documentary Derek, which will
premiere at Sundance.
Isaac Julien is a
filmmaker unafraid to blaze trails. His early films,
like Looking for Langston, were at the
forefront of black gay cinema, and he’s a noted
multimedia artist to boot. So it’s fitting that
his latest project is a documentary about another
groundbreaking director, Derek Jarman. Jarman’s films
-- which include Sebastiane, The Tempest, and Edward II -- were unconventional both in form and
content, and his unabashed portrayals of gay sexuality
were shocking at the time. For fans who are seeking a
deeper glimpse into Jarman’s life and work,
Julien’s documentary, titled simply
Derek, will premiere at this year’s
Sundance Film Festival.
Isaac, congratulations on getting Derek
accepted to Sundance. Tell me a bit about your history
with the festival.
I've been several times to Sundance. The last
time I went was in 2006, to share art pieces and
single-screen works in a different section of the
festival. That initiated a new strand at Sundance where
they're showing different works made by artists and
having a conversation with the art world in that
context. It was quite new and novel for the festival.
And, of course, your early attendance at Sundance
coincided with the birth of New Queer Cinema.
Yes. I made a film called Young Soul Rebels in
1992, and it was that [Sundance] panel about queer cinema
hosted by B. Ruby Rich, where Derek Jarman, Todd
Haynes, myself, and several other filmmakers
participated in a discussion that heralded this new
cinematic moment in gay cinema.
Let's talk about the documentary. Obviously Derek
Jarman has been a profound influence on you -- both
personally and cinematically -- but I was curious
if you remember the first time you saw a film of his.
I think I saw my first Jarman film probably when
I started to attend my first art courses in 1980. I
was really aware of his work -- especially
Sebastiane, which may have been the first one
that I saw. That film was all in Latin, and I'd just studied
Latin.
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