Sleepless Nights Stories (2011)

Jonas Mekas invites viewers on a tour through his nightlife, bringing together twenty-five stories of life, love and friendship.
Jonas Mekas' opening confession that he suffers from insomnia will come as no surprise to anyone aware of his singular contribution to cinema. Over 50 years he has established and promoted a viable culture for truly independent and avant-garde filmmaking, and his recent acceptance by the art world has brought a long overdue wave of attention and success. Sleepless Nights Stories is the latest in the series of long-form diary films that Mekas has been making since his arrival in the USA in 1949. Eating, drinking, singing and dancing with friends, the tireless octogenarian is full of life and wonder, casually weaving together contemporary folk tales collected during travels across the globe. Marina Abramovic fantasises about domesticity, Lee Stringer recounts an episode from his crack-addicted past, and the protagonist toasts the 'working class voice' of Amy Winehouse. Treating significant and inconsequential moments with equal import, Mekas' modern-day saga presents the first episodes from his ambitious '1001 Nights' project.
Mark Webber