Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the late Jonas Mekas we are happy to present a one-off screening of his landmark 1972 film Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania, in partnership with the Hyde Park Picture House.

Born in Lithuania in 1922, Mekas was an unlikely yet pivotal figure who had an international influence on twentieth century art, cinema and culture. He was a central node of avant-garde film in the United States from the 1950s onwards – his accomplishments including founding Film Culture magazine, the Film-Makers’ Cooperative and Anthology Film Archives. Alongside his role as an organiser, Mekas was equally celebrated as a poet, diarist, artist and filmmaker.

Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania chronicles the return journey to his homeland with his brother Adolfas, after several decades in the United States. ​​Reuniting with siblings, neighbours and their mother, the film pulls the viewer through village life in rural Soviet Lithuania, bookended by scenes from New York in the 1950s and a stop in Vienna on their return journey to the US. Combining music, poetry and reflections, with short fragmentary bursts of filming, Mekas’ films are alive with memory.

Preceded by a video from Mekas’s 365 Days Project from 2007.

Part of the Jonas Mekas 100! UK Cinema Tour curated by Herb Shellenberger. A project delivered by the Lithuanian Culture Institute and the Independent Cinema Office with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania and the Lithuanian Cultural Attaché in the UK.