william e. jones
Lives and works in Los Angeles. Like several other remarkable U.S. documentarians who came to the fore in the nineties, Jones studied at Cal Arts. Before film school he attended Yale in 1985, and also spent time in Paris studying film theory and watching movies. Returning home to figure out what to do, he realised that the last place he wanted to spend the rest of his life was the Ohio town where he grew up. In a certain way, Massillon, which takes its name from his hometown, is the culmination of his life up to that point. Jones teaches at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and at Cal State L.A. in East Los Angeles. He maintains a website featuring his photography work: www.shiftlessbody.com. He has been a fan of The Smiths since 1984.
filmography
2004 Is it really so strange?
1998 The Fall of Communism
1997 Finished
1991 Massillon
Director’s statement
The decisive factor was when I got a pompadour hairdo. People became much more approachable. They even asked to take my picture. It was a kind of initiation. We had something to share.
Lives and works in Los Angeles. Like several other remarkable U.S. documentarians who came to the fore in the nineties, Jones studied at Cal Arts. Before film school he attended Yale in 1985, and also spent time in Paris studying film theory and watching movies. Returning home to figure out what to do, he realised that the last place he wanted to spend the rest of his life was the Ohio town where he grew up. In a certain way, Massillon, which takes its name from his hometown, is the culmination of his life up to that point. Jones teaches at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and at Cal State L.A. in East Los Angeles. He maintains a website featuring his photography work: www.shiftlessbody.com. He has been a fan of The Smiths since 1984.
filmography
2004 Is it really so strange?
1998 The Fall of Communism
1997 Finished
1991 Massillon
Director’s statement
The decisive factor was when I got a pompadour hairdo. People became much more approachable. They even asked to take my picture. It was a kind of initiation. We had something to share.
