Film & TV Lunch Club: Aug/Sept 2024 - Young Visionaries
Citizen Kane, Jeanne Dielman and The Apple
Like some of the other writers on Substack whose publications I follow, I took a break over August, so this month’s club post is a blend of two months under the title of ‘Young Visionaries’. August 12th is International Youth Day, which you can read about on the UN Website, but in summary it aims to ‘bring youth issues to the attention of the international community and celebrate the potential of youth as partners in today’s global society’.
Then tomorrow, September 2nd (honestly, how did that happen!?), people in the UK return to school, so the theme also felt pertinent for this time of year when young people get to start over and experience a daunting yet seminal time in their life. They may not think of it like that, but whether you had a good time at school or not, there is no doubting how much your school and college years shape you as a person.
Among the many challenges facing young people is how prevalent youth-related issues are in media, and particularly how well represented and how realistically young people are portrayed. There may be youthful characters being played on our screens but how well do they represent real life for young people today? It is vital young people are consulted about this and involved in creative processes - not just to ‘get it right’ - but because it risks alienating huge audience demographics if all they have to consume are stories about life as a ‘youth’ from unfounded points of view.
And that brings us seamlessly to the theme and its links with cinema: young visionaries of film. For this edition of Film & TV Lunch Club, we are thinking about directors who were considerably and impressively young when they made their mark in the film world. Everyone has to cut their teeth at some point but what a gift to be able to share the feeling and experience of youth through art!
The selection of films below focuses on the age of directors exclusively, but as an aside, during the research I did for this post I discovered that Marsai Martin made history in 2019 as Hollywood's youngest executive producer ever of a studio film, Little.
Before we get into the selection and longlist, check out the YDA (Young Director Award) website and Into Film website for two related resources. Feel free to suggest more in the comments if you have recommendations to share.
Finally, good luck to everyone starting a fresh academic year tomorrow - you’ve got this 💪
🎞 August/September Selection 🎞
Citizen Kane (1941) Official Trailer; Dir. Orson Welles
Citizen Kane (1941; Dir. Orson Welles)
Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.' Welles was 25 when this film premiered - one that is widely regarded as one of the best of all time.
Stream on BFI Player.Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975, Dir. Chantal Akerman)
A lonely widowed housewife does her daily chores, takes care of her apartment where she lives with her teenage son, and turns the occasional trick to make ends meet. However, something happens that changes her safe routine. Akerman was 24 at the time of the film’s release.
Stream on BFI Player.The Apple (1998, Dir. Samira Makhmalbaf).
After twelve years of imprisonment by their own parents, two sisters are finally released by social workers to face the outside world for the first time. One of the first films of the Iranian New Wave, this was Makhmalbaf’s debut, made when she was just seventeen.
🎬 The Long List: Optional Extras 🎬
Fruitvale Station (Dir. Ryan Coogler) - The story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.
Mommy (Dir. Xavier Dolan) - A widowed single mother, raising her violent son alone, finds new hope when a mysterious neighbor inserts herself into their household.
Fireworks (short; Dir. Kenneth Anger) - A dissatisfied dreamer awakes, goes out in the night seeking a 'light' and is drawn through the needle's eye. A dream of a dream, he returns to bed less empty than before.
Straight out of Brooklyn (Dir. Matty Rich) - A young man living in poverty makes a plan to rob a drug dealer and change the life of his family.
Donny Darko (Dir. Richard Kelly) - After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Boyz N the Hood (Dir. John Singleton) - Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence, and future prospects.
The Evil Dead (Dir. Sam Raimi) - Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.
Clerks (Dir. Kevin Smith) - A day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.
Harlan County USA (Dir. Baraba Kopple) - A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (Dir. Amy Heckerling) - A group of Southern California high school students are enjoying their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock n' roll.
🔜 Next Month 🔜
The theme for OCTOBER will be RESPECT YOUR ELDERS meaning that we will be flipping this post on its head and looking at films directed by people who continue (or continued) to make films after an already extensive career, or directors who directed their debut post-40. Feel free to give me your thoughts about this post or the next one in the comments or on Insta! I’d love to know what you’ve been watching.