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Derek Jarman Lives

Isaac Julien brings the queer auteur's life and work back to the big screen with his documentary Derek, which will premiere at Sundance.
An Advocate.com exclusive posted January 15, 2008
Derek Jarman Lives

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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Buchanan is The Advocate's film critic.

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