In collaboration with GAZE Film Festival aemi presents ‘Joy Boy: A Tribute To Julius Eastman’ which sees six filmmakers come together to pay cinematic tribute to the transcendent music, queer activism, and vibrant spirituality of African American composer, performer, and activist Julius Eastman (1940–1990). Originally a classically trained pianist, Eastman became a central figure in New York’s experimental music scene in the late 1970s. His music is known for its slow, cumulative structure, often bearing politically charged titles such as Evil N**** and Gay Guerrilla, marking both a radical compositional stance and an uncompromising political gesture.
Sunday 2nd August @ 15:00 | Irish Film Institute
Join us at the IFI for a screening and Q&A with directors Aileen Ye (How to Dance) and Victoire Karera Kampire (Joy Boy), a frequent collaborator with Collectif Faire Part whose film Speech For A Melting Statue also features in aemi’s 2026 touring programme, ‘Desire Lines’.
Synopsis:
An homage to Julius Eastman (1940–1980), African American pianist, composer, homosexual – legendary for his voice and his stage presence, who died in poverty. Joy Boy alterates between his music and archival voice recordings – visualised by a trans-national, six-headed collective in four chapters. Inflamed by colonial and life history, raw, radical and crystal clear. Coming from a wide spectrum of theoretical and artistic practices, the directors partake in a complex collaboration, independent and collective at the same time, in solidarity with Eastman and each other. (Barbara Wurm for Berlinale)
Directors: Mawena Yehouessi, Fallon Mayanja, Rob Jacobs, Victoire Karera Kampire, Paul Shemisi, Anne Reijniers
Producers: Rob Jacobs, Victoire Karera Kampire, Fallon Mayanja, Anne Reijniers, Paul Shemisi, Mawena Yehouessi
Belgium | 2026 | Duration: 1h 4m
Pre-feature short:
‘How to Dance’
Aileen Ye | Netherlands, UK | 2026 | 10m
This political dance film studies the body’s capacity to speak in resistance while society is ruled by capital and surveillance. Portraying an impressive performance by Jordan Achiano, who balances intensity and stillness and is captured with great energy and care, the film accompanies his movements with an excerpt from a KRS-One interview, dissecting capitalism and materialism. How to Dance asks us to think about forms of expression beyond the verbal. – Koen de Rooij
Aileen Ye is a film director and writer from Dublin exploring contemporary subcultures and body politics. Her films have internationally screened at festivals including BFI London Film Festival, IFFR, SXSW London, and exhibited at art institutions such as the Barbican, ICA, LUX, FACT Liverpool, Art Rotterdam, and esea Contemporary. In 2023/24, she won Best International Short Documentary for ‘Midnight Rising’ at Dublin IFF, and was a resident curator for Eye Filmmuseum. In 2022, she was mentored by A24. She has worked with NOWNESS Asia, Sevdaliza, and more.
