The year 2022 marks the centennial of the birth of Jonas Mekas, the god of American avant-garde cinema.

Gozo Yoshimasu (born 2/22/1939), a pioneer of Japanese contemporary poetry, pursued the vision of his ally, the late Jonas Mekas (12/14/1922 - 1/23/2019), in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The time is the end of January 2020, just before the coronavirus strikes NYC, and the trip is just in time. The film depicts the dramatic birth of a poem that could be called a requiem on the first anniversary of the death of Mekas, who was considered a giant of experimental cinema.

“Why are your poems and films so shaky?” Someone asked this question to Jonas Mekas, the poet deemed the godfather of American avant-garde cinema. Mekas replied “My life is shaky.”

This film Memai Vertigo follows Gozo Yoshimasu (b. 1939), a pioneer of modern Japanese poetry, as he seeks memories of his friend Jonas Mekas (1922-2019) through Manhattan and Brooklyn one year after Mekas’ passing. The film depicts Gozo’s process as he works to craft a poetic requiem for his friend during his stay in America.

Yoshimasu Gozo emerged on the poetry scene in the 1960s as a flagbearer for a new form of verse with a wild linguistic sensibility and an explosive image. He continues to blaze new paths, producing poetry that heightens and fills the five senses. Jonas Mekas died on January 23rd of 2019 at the age of 96. He was born on a farm in Lithuania. In his youth, his homeland was taken over by the Nazis and then the Soviets, and Mekas fled to America. From the midst of despair, he worked to plant roots in his new soil and began to weave stories from his memories through the medium of film. He created many films that influenced the development of counterculture cinema, a contrast to Hollywood. Best known of his works are the so-called “diary films” that depict his daily life.

As Gozo travels to Kyoto, Tokyo, and New York, he laments the passing of his friend, and over time these fragmentary thoughts begin to take shape as poetry. The film depicts Brooklyn and Manhattan, where Mekas lived, in ways that bring to the senses the “shakiness” he described—that of the city and its people.

When Gozo meets Mekas’s son Sebastian, he undergoes a change. The meeting takes place just before vacating Jonas’s studio in Brooklyn. Sebastian explains how his father worked and lived in the studio without a bed, often sleeping on a mat on the floor or even in a chair. In the studio, Gozo is overtaken by a moment of vertigo. He lies down and is overtaken by a flood of images which he puts into words.

This film tells the story of how Gozo draws on his experiences to compose a requiem in verse to mark the one-year anniversary of the passing of his friend Jonas Mekas, in the process preserving something of Mekas’ spirit in a work of art. The works of Mekas and Gozo are introduced along with their treasured correspondence. This film marks the birth of a new style of documentary wherein images take form as poetry.

Enjoy this film about poets of East and West who became kindred spirits, moving together in the winds of life.

Haruo Inoue
Born in 1963
inoue@hug-machine.com
Graduated from Doshisha University Faculty of Law
Film director, scriptwriter, producer, commercial director
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2752212/

Number of works
TV documentaries more than 400 (including short films)
TV dramas 24
Theatrical films (fiction) 12
Theatrical films (documentaries) 2
Commercial films (Shiseido, etc.) 80

Recent Film Awards
Documentary film
2018 "The Reality Behind What We See"
https://www.maboroshi-web.com/

42nd Festival des Films du Monde de Montréal
Competition

etc.

10 Best documentry prizes at the International Film Festival.

Currently 50 awards and 39 others

〜Nov. 7th, 2023

Annual, seasonal, and monthly awards vary

NEW 2023/11/3

World Cinema Antwerp 2022／Belgium

Best Cinematography in a Documentary 

NEW 2023/05/18

8 & Halfilm Awards in Cannes／France

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

BEST ART HOUSE FILM

BEST EDITING

BEST PRODUCER

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM

Paradise Film Festival／Budapest, Hungary

New York Film Awards／NY, United States

BEST FILM ESSAY

CLIMAX Critics Awards／Spain

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

New York Cinematography AWARDS (NYCA)／NEW YORK, United States

Sofia Art Film Awards／Sofia, BulgariaStanley Film Awards／London, United Kingdom※Stanley Kubrick memorial

8 & Halfilm Awards／Rome, Italy

※Federico Fellini memorialMilan Gold Awards／Milan, Italy

New York Neorealism Film Awards／Rome, Italy

Royal Wolf Film Awards／Los Angeles, United States

Pinnacle Film Awards／Hollywood, United StatesVirgin Spring Cinefest／Kolkata, India

Mindfield Film Festival • Albuquerque／Albuquerque, United States

Five Continents International Film Festival／Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela

Gangtok International Film Festival／Sikkim, IndiaCalcutta International Cult Film Festival／Kolkata, India

Mannheim Arts and Film Festival／Mannheim, GermanySydney Australian Film Festival／Sydney, Australia

Experimental Film Guanajuato／Guanajuato, MexicoRED Movie Awards／Reims, France

Snow Leopard Film Festival／Madrid, Spain

BEST DIRECTOR

INOUE HaruoStanley Film Awards／London, United Kingdom※Stanley Kubrick memorial8 & Halfilm Awards／Rome, Italy

※Federico Fellini memorial

New York Neorealism Film Awards／Rome, Italy

Royal Wolf Film Awards／Los Angeles, United States

Pinnacle Film Awards／Hollywood, United States

Cult Critic Movie Awards／Kolkata, India

Five Continents International Film Festival／Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela

The Gladiator Film Festival／İstanbul, TurkeyRED Movie Awards／Reims, France

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER

SUZUKI MasayaFive Continents International Film Festival／Puerto la Cruz, VenezuelaSofia Art Film Awards／Sofia, Bulgaria

Royal Wolf Film Awards／Los Angeles, United States

Pinnacle Film Awards／Hollywood, United States

The Gladiator Film Festival／İstanbul, TurkeyBest Documentary Award／London, UK

BEST SOUND DESIGN

KANNO Tomokazu, WATANABE Mie, MORI EijiTagore International Film Festival／West Bengal, India※Tagore memorial

Five Continents International Film Festival／Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela

Sun of the East Awards 2022／West Bengal, India

BEST PRODUCER

YAMAMOTO ReijiTagore International Film Festival／West Bengal, India※Tagore memorial

Royal Wolf Film Awards／Los Angeles, United States

HONORARY AWARDEE

Jean-Luc Godard Awards 2022／Kolkata, India

Best Portrait

16th "CinemaVérité" Iran International Documentary Film Festival／Tehran, Iran

The 4th Pigeon D’or Awards

*Luis Bunuel Memorial Awards ／India

-------------------------

DOCUMENTARY FILM PRIZE

Special Prize, Honorable Mention

Luis Bunuel Memorial Awards／Kolkata, India※Luis Bunuel Tagore memorial

Tagore International Film Festival／West Bengal, India※Tagore memorial

Festival internazionale Segni della notte／Roma, ItalyWallachia Int'l Film Festival／Bucharest, RomaniaArt Film Awards／Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofSan Francisco Frozen Film Festival (SFFFF)／San Francisco, United States

Mindfield Film Festival • Albuquerque／Albuquerque, United StatesSouth Film and Arts Academy Festival／Rancagua, Chile

Calcutta International Cult Film Festival／Kolkata, India

Black Swan International Film Festival／Kolkata, India

Druk International Film Festival／Paro, BhutanAnatolia International Film Festival／İstanbul, Turkey

Best Indie Film Award／London, UKIconic Images Film Festival／Vilnius, LithuaniaBest Film Awards／London, UK

Symbiotic Film Festival／Kiev UkraineIstanbul Film Awards／Istanbul, Turkey

East Europe International Film Festival／Warsaw, Poland

The International Moving Film Festival／Khouzestan, IranZagreb International Film Festival／Zagreb, Croatia

DIRECTOR PRIZE

INOUE HaruoSpecial Prize, Honorable Mention

Eastern Europe Film Festival／Craiova, Romania

Sydney Australian Film Festival／Sydney AustraliaCalcutta International Cult Film Festival／Kolkata, India

Druk International Film Festival／Paro, Bhutan

Snow Leopard Film Festival／Madrid, Spain

EXPERIMENTAL FILM PRIZ

Special Prize, Honorable Mention

Paris Film Awards／Paris, FranceFlorence Film Awards／Florence, FranceBlack Swan International Film Festival／Kolkata, IndiaCiudad del Este Independent Film Festival／Ciudad del Este, ParaguayBlack Swan International Film Festival／Kolkata, India

Cult Critic Movie Awards／Kolkata, India

CINEMATOGRAPHER PRIZE

SUZUKI MasayaSpecial Prize, Honorable Mention

Eastern Europe Film Festival／Warsaw, Poland

Mindfield Film Festival • Albuquerque／Albuquerque, United StatesSydney Australian Film Festival／Sydney, Australia

New Creators Film Awards／Paris, France

EDITING PRIZE

INOUE HaruoSpecial Prize, Honorable Mention

South Film and Arts Academy Festival／Rancagua, ChileSydney Australian Film Festival／Sydney Australia

DOCUMENTARY FILM FINALIST

Andrei Tarkovsky memorial Awards now in Competition

Brno Film Festival／Brno, Czech RepublicBoden International Film festival／Boden, Sweden

Bratislava International Film Awards／Bratislava, Slovakia

Ukrainian Dream Film Festival／Odesa, Ukraine

Buenos Aires International Film Festival／Buenos Aires, Argentina

Rome Prisma Film Awards／Rome, Italy

Polish International Film Festival／Warsaw, Poland

Wolves Independent International Film Festival／Saldutiškis, LithuaniaSeattle Film Festival／Seattle, United States

Washington Film Awards／Washington, United StatesHudson International Film Festival New York／New York, United StatesNew Jersey Film Festival／New Jersey, United StatesBUFFALO INT'L FILM FESTIVAL／Buffalo United States

Symbiotic Film Festival／Kiev, Ukraine

Stockholm City Film Festival／Stockholm, Sweden

 Jonas Mekas, a Lithuanian, moved from one Nazi concentration camp to another during World War II and immigrated to the U.S. after the war. he passed away on January 23, 2019 at the age of 96. He was considered a God of avant-garde cinema and befriended Andy Warhol, John Lennon, and contemporary poet Allen Ginsberg, among others. At the same time, he championed and nurtured young avant-garde artists and filmmakers. Gozo Yoshimasu, one of Japan's leading poets, followed the vision of his life in NYC. In this film, Gozo dedicates his memorial poem to Jonas. Gozo was a close friend of Jonas. I hope that through this film, people all over the world will learn more about Jonas Mekas.

1. Project Type:Documentary, Experimental
2. Runtime:1 hour 57 minutes 30 seconds
3. Completion Date:December 30, 2021
4. Production Budget:180,000 USD
5. Country of Origin:Japan
6. Country of Filming:Japan, United States
7. Language:English, Japanese
8. Shooting Format:Degital DCP Blu-ray 5.1ch
9. Aspect Ratio:16:9
10. Film Color:Color