Jason And Shirley
– Based on a true story, Jason and Shirley recreates the 1966 power struggle between Jewish, Oscar-win..
Based on a true story, Jason and Shirley recreates the 1966 power struggle between Jewish, Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Shirley Clarke and her subject, Jason Holiday, a fierce black gay queen over a 12-hour marathon filming session which gave rise to Clarke's iconic documentary Portrait of Jason.
20 Oct 2015
English
Stephen Winter
Sarah Schulman, Jack Waters, Stephen Winter
Mike Bailey-Gates, Gordon Beeferman, Jordan Saunders Brooks, Lee Ann Brown
December 3, 1966, Oscar winning filmmaker Shirley Clarke invites Jason Holiday, a black gay hustler, drug addict and transient to her Chelsea Hotel penthouse in New York City to film him for 12 hours nonstop telling stories from his turbulent life. This became 'Portrait of Jason,' a pioneering documentary hailed for its unflinching look at race and sexuality. Yet some accused Shirley Clarke of exploitation, as she and her partner Carl Lee, a brilliant African American actor and heroin user, hint as a love triangle between the three of them, as they goad Jason into a terrible on-screen nervous breakdown. We go behind the scenes of that day, and tell the story from Jason's intoxicated yet completely self-aware and surreal point of view.