The John Adams Institute collaborated with the International Documentary Film Festival this year on the theme ‘The Female Gaze’. IDFA invited fifteen leading female directors from various countries to present three documentaries each: one directed by themselves, one directed by a woman who has inspired them, and one by an up-and-coming female talent. The John Adams hosted two American directors, Chris Hegedus and Jessica Yu.
Chris Hegedus has been directing, shooting, and editing documentaries for nearly forty years. Her 1992 film for the Clinton presidential campaign, The War Room, was nominated for an Oscar; her recent film Kings of Pastry premiered at the IDFA. Hegedus chose as her inspiration Portrait of Jason (1967), an intimate portrait by Shirley Clarke of a 40-year-old homosexual man in the form of a two hour long monologue, filmed in one evening on the roof of the famous Chelsea Hotel in New York.
Oscar-winner Jessica Yu’s film Misconception offers a provocative glimpse at how the world—and women in particular— are tackling a subject at once personal and global. Following three individuals, Yu focuses on the human implications of this highly charged political issue.
Chris Hegedus on Portrait of Jason, Nov. 20, 11:30 at Kleine Komedie, Amstel 56-58, 1017 AC Amsterdam
Jessica Yu on Misconception, Nov. 21, 18.30 at Kleine Komedie, Amstel 56-58, 1017 AC Amsterdam
