Kent Jones on generational friction and late arrivals in 'Late Fame'

Director Kent Jones joins us to discuss his second narrative feature 'Late Fame,' working from a script by Samy Burch, who appeared on this show around the time of 'May December.' Kent reflects on collaborating with a writer defining a different generational moment in the industry, and what that pairing revealed about where their worldviews aligned or pushed against each other.

We unpack the decision to open the film with archival footage of the New York art scene before shifting into the present day, and why establishing that historical anchor mattered for the visual rules of everything that follows. Drawing on decades spent as a critic and programmer looking at how audiences absorb culture, he compares that mindset to the intuitive, split-second decisions required on a live set.

The conversation turns to the visual choices, from camerawork to staging to production design, that distinguish the film's wealthier dreamers from Ed and Gloria's more precarious reality. Kent closes by reflecting on how directing two features rooted in character and New York atmosphere has changed his relationship to reading a script and imagining, then realizing its visual possibilities.

(Photo: Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures)