Derek Jarman



Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman (January 31, 1942 – February 19, 1994) was a British film director, stage designer, artist, and writer. He is most known for his controversial films including Sebastiane (1975), the first film in Latin, Jubilee (1977) in which Queen Elizabeth I was transported to the punk contemporary England, and Blue (1993) which depicted his own suffering with AIDS. Jarman was gay and an outspoken supporter of gay rights; he also cultivated a beautiful garden at his home in Dungeness, Kent.

Quotes

 * People say to me, "You make fantastic films" and I say, "No, I make documentaries."
 * In Bergen Filmklub.


 * On December 22, 1986, finding I was body positive, I set myself a target: I would disclose my secret and survive Margaret Thatcher. I did. Now I have set my sights on the millennium and a world where we are all equal.
 * At Your Own Risk (1991).


 * Dear William Shakespeare. I am a 14 year old and I’m queer like you. I’m learning art. I wanted to be a queer artist like Leonardo or Michaelangelo. But I like Francis Bacon best I read Alan Ginsberg, Rimbaud. I like Tchaikovsky, if I make films I will make them like Eisenstein, Murnau, Pasolini, Visconti. Love from Derek.
 * Letter to the Minister (1992).