20 Little Films

20 Little Films

2012 · 26 min · ★ 6.0 · Documentary

Since 1995, the Viennale has invited renowned directors to create short, one-minute films as personal contributions to the festival. Ranging from home movies to political essays, musical sketches to abstract studies, these “little films” form a unique anthology of cinematic moments. 20 Little Films collects a selection of these works, premiering together for the Viennale’s 50th anniversary at the Locarno Film Festival.

Directed by Jonas Mekas

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20 Little Films

Filmstudio, mon amour

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Filmstudio, mon amour

Filmstudio, mon amour · 2015

Filmstudio, mon amour

MovieDocumentary

As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty

As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty · 2000

As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty

MovieDocumentary

A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.

Diaries, Notes, and Sketches

Diaries, Notes, and Sketches · 1968

Diaries, Notes, and Sketches

MovieDocumentary

Also known as Walden, Jonas Mekas’s first diary film is a six-reel chronicle of his life in 1960s New York, interweaving moments with family, friends, lovers, and artistic idols. Blending everyday encounters with portraits of the avant-garde art scene, it forms an epic, personal meditation on community, creativity, and the passage of time.

The Brig

The Brig · 1964

Jonas Mekas’s film captures The Living Theatre’s stage production of The Brig, an unflinching portrait of life inside a U.S. Marine Corps jail in Japan in 1957. Over the course of a single day, prisoners endure relentless drills, abuse, and dehumanization, exposing the brutality of military discipline with stark immediacy.

Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol: Friendships and Intersections

Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol: Friendships and Intersections · 1990

Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol: Friendships and Intersections

Jonas Mekas’s intimate diary film spans 1963 to 1990, capturing Andy Warhol alongside friends and collaborators from the New York avant-garde. Featuring figures such as Allen Ginsberg, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and George Maciunas—as well as rare footage of the Velvet Underground’s first performance—it offers a personal portrait of Warhol’s world and his intersections with art, music, and counterculture.

3.11 A Sense of Home Films

3.11 A Sense of Home Films · 2011

3.11 A Sense of Home Films

MovieAnimationDrama

In memory of the Japanese earthquake on 3.11, each director presents a 3 minute and 11 second short film in tribute to those who were lost that day.

Cassis

MovieDocumentary

Filmed during a visit to Jerome Hill in Provence, Jonas Mekas sets his Bolex to capture a single day overlooking the port of Cassis. Shot frame by frame from morning to sunset, the film distills shifting light and color into a quiet meditation on time, place, and perception.

In Between

In Between · 1978

MovieDocumentary

Footage from 1964-1968 that did not find its way into the Walden reels is joined in this classic period piece. Mostly centered in New York, it also includes travel footage and appearances by David Wise, Salvador Dali, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Smith, Shirley Clarke, Jane Holzer and more. Mel Lyman plays his banjo on the roof.

42 One Dream Rush

42 One Dream Rush · 2010

42 One Dream Rush

An omnibus project bringing together acclaimed directors from around the world, each contributing a 42-second short inspired by a dream. Produced by 42 Below vodka, the collection blends surreal, poetic, and experimental visions into a mosaic of oneiric cinema.

Notes on an American Film Director at Work

Notes on an American Film Director at Work · 2008

Notes on an American Film Director at Work

MovieDocumentary

Filmmaker Jonas Mekas follows his friend, film director Martin Scorsese, and his cast and crew, through various locations during the shooting of his film The Departed, released in 2006.

Hare Krishna

Hare Krishna · 1967

Jonas Mekas captures an afternoon in New York as a Hare Krishna group fills the streets with chanting and song. Filmed with his characteristic freewheeling style and later incorporated into Walden, the short stands as an impressionistic sketch of spiritual fervor and Mekas’s participatory approach to cinema.

Empire

MovieDocumentary

Filmed by Jonas Mekas from the 44th floor of the Time-Life Building, “Empire” explores the passage of time without the use of characters or a traditional narrative. The film, that consists of one stationary shot of the Empire State Building, was made from standard 1,200-foot rolls of 16mm film with a more than eight-hour runtime.

Hollywood Party

Hollywood Party · 2016

Hollywood Party

Live radio recording with Italian RAI3 during the Locarno Film Festival.

Tapes

MovieDocumentary

The tapes in the program consist of some of Mekas’ earliest cassettes from the 1990s not long after he first began working with video as well as more recent mini-DV tapes from 2010s. The contents of the tapes have not been previously seen in their entirety. The footage provides rare insight into aspects of Mekas’ video-making practice, as well as his activities, thoughts, dreams, and concerns, especially during the later years of his life.

Mozart & Elvis

Mozart & Elvis · 2000

MovieDocumentary

This is footage of Elvis Presley's last performance in New York on June 9th, 1972. It is preceded by footage I shot in Vienna a few years earlier. It is a unique recording whichever way you look at it.

Nitsch

A short film by Maria Lassnig, shot in 1970.

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