Notes on “House of Leather”

Jamison Rockmore first visited TOM House in 2016 where he was the Foundation’s first literary Artist-in-Residence. He recalls, as a young Gay man, “I knew vaguely about Tom of Finland — his art covering Gay bars across the country — but I didn’t understand the magnitude of his legacy. As I meandered through the hundred-year-old Craftsman, basking in the unabashed eroticism and eclectic crowds, I was overcome with a sense of freedom. I knew then that this space would change me forever.”

During his residency, he wrote and published the erotic memoir How to Be a Faggot and subsequently his writing has been featured in EDGE Media, GAYLETTER and by Yale University Press, among others. After leaving TOM House he pursued the study of screenwriting from the American Film Institute Conservatory and earned his MFA in 2019. This in and of itself is a remarkable path and underscores the unique mentorship that the Foundation’s Artist-in-Residence Program can provide young LGBTQ+ artists, writers, and filmmakers.

More notably, it is during these years that Jamison arrived at the concept for the premise for the documentary House of Leather and began to take the steps to develop it. “Having lived in this house full of magic, my vision for this documentary is as unconventional as the place. I want to breathe so much life into this film that the viewer feels they are right there with us, smoking a cigarette on the porch and talking about, well, you know, smut. I’d like to share the reverie of this community with everyone.

Part of a new generation of artists and individuals in the life of Tom of Finland Foundation, Jamison seized on telling this rich and historically-significant story in a novel, contemporary way.

In a moving narrative fashion, the documentary creates intimate portraits revealing the real-world experiences of three visiting artists. We are introduced to Oat Montien (33), a confident, strong minded artist from Bangkok, Thailand, who uses classical techniques in his drawings and sketches; Xiaobing Fan (31), a free-spirited rebel from a rural province in China who left an editor post at GQ China and has taken to expressing himself through collage and painting; and Carta Monir (31), a Midwestern American well-studied in Queer history and academia who is excited to bring a feminine energy to the famously masculine space as a Transwoman.

For Jamison, the lives of these characters are only the entry point for of a vast reaching community of outcasts fighting to express themselves without defamation. Through Tom’s living memory, this eclectic community is not only affirmed but celebrated.

Jamison’s vision has evolved beyond his initial précis as he became increasingly immersed in the Foundation’s global community and witnessed many of its most momentous events and accomplishments over the past several years. Jamison traveled with Durk to Helsinki, Finland, to document the opening of the exhibition TOM OF FINLAND Bold Journey at Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art for the first solo show displaying the works and life story of one of the world’s best-known Finnish artists. In 2022, he traveled to Paris, France, to document the exhibition AllTogether curated by The Community that presented works from Tom of Finland Foundation’s collection internationally for the first time and debuted in tandem with the Venice Biennale.

The young filmmaker’s project has attracted the support of a notable production team. Inspired by Jamison’s vision and determination, award winning documentary filmmaker Don Hardy has signed on to be the project’s Executive Producer. Hardy’s latest film Let it Die Here (2024) about Queer songwriter Lina Perry premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and his documentary Pick of the Litter (2018) was acquired by IFC Films/Sundance and was adapted by Hardy in 2020 as a feature documentary series on Disney+. Hardy is joined by fellow KTF Films’ Justin Levy who produced Well Groomed (2019) that premiered at SXSW and is the Associate Producer of the 2018 Academy Award-nominated short documentary “Knife Skills”. Fellow AFI graduate and Queer filmmaker Nicholas Blanco joined the team as Producer and is dedicated to creating films about communities and bringing together peoples across cultural borders.

Over several years Jamison and his team have created the opportunity to record many hours of interviews with not just Durk and Sharp, but with designers like Glenn Martens, Creative Director of DIESEL, and many other individuals, as they share their insights and inspiration by Tom of Finland’s living legacy. However, at its heart, House of Leather tells the stories in verité style of a recent cohort of the Foundation’s artists-in-residence. Jamison declares, “To make a film about TOM House without the living residents would be to tell stories of a revolution without its revolutionaries. The residents of this community are ready to tell their story, and now, the world is finally ready to hear it.”

Jamison states, “By luck or fate, Durk has become a friend and mentor to me, and over the past five years, we have developed a strong working relationship. The Foundation had been looking for someone to document their community for some time, but they were wary of outsiders who might exploit them. Durk shares my vision and has given his unequivocal support for the documentary.” For Durk, having a former resident behind the wheel is a dream come true.

“Jamison undertook a project that deserved to be presented to our global community. It is a documentary that focuses on Tom of Finland Foundation’s Artist-in-Residency Program. I sense that this film will do a great deal for all of us that have been involved with it, but even more for those who view it. Making the visual medium the messenger on how we nurture our own culture is inspired. Kudos to Jamison for making this come about.” -Durk Dehner 

Jamison and his team are at an important crossroads and need your help and he says we are currently seeking finishing funds to complete the film and bring it to the biggest possible audience. It’s up to the community to help us deliver to a global festival by 2025.

Everyone at Tom of Finland Foundation asks you to support the development of this remarkable and important cinematic work and contributions can be made through Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship. Please help us bring House of Leather to silver screens near you!

HELP FINANCE THE FILM

Tom of Finland Art & Culture Festival 2024 – Los Angeles

Saturday 30th November, 11:30a -1:00p: House of Leather Sneak Peek and Panel Discussion

Published: 13th September 2024

Categorised in: News