ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the life and legacy of Jason and Shirley and its canonical forebearer, Portrait of Jason (Shirley Clarke, 1967), one of the only films by a white woman in the documentary or American indie canon. Juhasz uses experimental forms to queer the canon, looking at what you are not supposed to, thereby shedding light on the behind-the-scenes: how, by whom, and why indie films are made, who stays in and out of the picture, how and by whom they are financed, recognized, and written about… the traditional, patriarchal, racist, sexist, and conventional ways of filmmaking, distribution, selection, and writing by which only some films get into the canon, and the queer ways that might serve others who also need.
