Diary Film Genre

This focus of this thesis is Jonas Mekas’s diary film practice. Jonas Mekas is a prolificfilm-maker, artist, poet and curator as well as the pioneer ofthe diary film genre. Theaim of the thesis is to define diary film and analyze diary film practice of Jonas Mekasfrom the perspective of genre theory and show how his use of this genre help himportray his immigrant experience.Following research tasks were involved: to show what cinematic genres influencedthe creation and development of diary film and in what aspects do they coincide anddiffer from diary film, to discuss various dimensions that constitute the aesthetics ofdiary film practice of Jonas Mekas, and to analyze how does diary film form helps toportray Jonas Mekas’s immigrant experience.The first part of the thesis provides the theoretical framework for the study of Mekas’sfilms. A genre theory approach of film studies have been chosen. It is a structuralistapproach that examines the structural elements that constitute the narrative and findspatterns in the specific genre that allow to define and analyze it in its broadestcontexts. The second part of the thesis deals with the diary film as a genre. It isdefined and compared to various neighbouring film genres that influenced itsdevelopment. The third part of the thesis sheds light on the aesthetics of JonasMekas’s diary film, describing what formal techniques, conventions and motifs he hasused in his diary film practice. Finally, a generic analysis of Jonas Mekas’s first diaryfilm Walden will be given to illustrate how he used the conventions of the genre toportray his immigrate experience.By defining diary film, overviewing the development of diary film and its variousconnections to the other film genres, discussing the unique form of representation ofdiary film and examining the diary film practice in work of Jonas Mekas, who isundoubtedly the most important figure in the history of diary film, this thesis hopes toestablish a foresighted and innovative theoretical study on diary film.