As part of our Derek Jarman season celebrating his life and work in what would have been his 80th year we present a Double Bill of Isaac Julien's 2008 documentary Derek + Glitterbug from 1994.

Derek (2008)

Punk Britain, gay Britain, Thatcher’s Britain – Derek Jarman tackled the lot. Derek is a unique collaboration between Tilda Swinton, the film’s narrator, and Isaac Julien, in which the life, vision and legacy of Derek Jarman is fondly remembered and celebrated. The revealing and frank interview at the core of the film is embroidered with a moving collage of home-movie footage, clips from 17 of his films, pop promos, rare footage from the sets of Sebastiane and Jubilee, and current affairs footage from 1960s swinging London through to the Thatcherite nationalism of the 1980s.

Painter, author, gay militant, Aids activist and, above all, filmmaker, Derek Jarman was one of Britain’s best-loved and most original artists who touched the lives of everyone he met.

Glitterbug (1994)

A stunning collage of ecstatic Super-8 fragments, GLITTERBUG is a loving tribute to Derek Jarman posthumously assembled by friends from his prolific filming of everyday events and his experimental investigations of the format. Jarman’s vibrant photography combined with dynamic cutting reveals glimpses into his picaresque life, from London streets to Spanish countryside—with visions of dances, performances, intimate moments and quiet observations. Especially touching are the sequences with longtime muse Tilda Swinton (Oscar winner for Michael Clayton, Grand Budapast Hotel) as she bashfully wanders around gardens, her joyful, intimate interaction with the camera a testimony to her and Jarman’s devoted friendship. Set to a mesmerizing score by Brian Eno, GLITTERBUG forms a hopeful counterpoint to the harrowing BLUE and commemorates both Jarman’s exemplary life as a gay icon and his unique artistic vision.