Jonas Mekas: Filming Independence — Lithuania and the Collapse of the USSR

On January 13, Scandinavia House presented the first of two international online panels dedicated to Jonas Mekas and his last book, Transcript 04 44’ 14” Lithuania and the Collapse of the USSR, now out from Humboldt Books.

Thirty years after the tragic and courageous struggle that led the Lithuanian people to regain their independence, this panel discussed the legendary Lithuanian-American filmmaker, poet, and artist Jonas Mekas (1922-2019) and his final book, which retraces those events from a personal perspective. Transcript 04 44’ 14” Lithuania and the Collapse of the USSR originates from a movie by Mekas, which is at the same time a precious historical document and a masterpiece of avant-garde cinema. In this panel “The Cinematic Diary as a Tool for Historical and Political Writing,” the curator of the publication, Francesco Urbano Ragazzi, spoke with other thinkers, artists, and historians in a virtual roundtable with Giovanna Silva, Pascal Le Segretain, and Oona Mekas, with special guest Vytautas Landsbergis, Head of State of the Republic of Lithuania.

Watch the full discussion in the video above! The film "Transcript 04 44’ 14” Lithuania and the Collapse of the USSR" is available to stream through January 31, 2021 from Anthology Film Archives; a second panel with Brooklyn Rail takes place on January 14, 2021.

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