Education
He started filmmaking in high school in the early 1980s and then attended Brown University, where he studied semiotics and critical theory.
Actor director cinematographer
He started filmmaking in high school in the early 1980s and then attended Brown University, where he studied semiotics and critical theory.
His senior thesis film, "Der Elvis", was called by critic J. Hoberman "one of the top 50 films of the eighties." Moritsugu"s films are defined by their "lo-fi" aesthetic, and were initially shot on 16mm film stock to give them a gritty, visceral quality. Moritsugu writes all of his films, and also serves as producer, editor, as well as distributor. Fellow underground filmmaker Todd Verow served as cinematographer on three of Moritsugu"s features: Terminal United States of America (1993) Mod Fuck Explosion (1994) and "Pig Death Machine" (2013).
His films have been featured at Sundance, Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, MoMA, Guggenheim, Whitney and numerous other festivals and museums.
In spring of 2011, Jon Moritsugu directed with Davis a music video for the song Number Future Shock by Brooklyn rock group television on the Radio. As described by writer Rani Molla, "Santa Fe filmmakers Jon Moritsugu and Amy Davis veer (very slightly) from their underground experimental base with a music video released today for popular Brooklyn experimental band television on the Radio.
The video is one in a movie-length series of music videos for the band"s new album Nine Types of Light". In 2015, James Schamus, former Chief Executive Officer of Focus Features, stated to the New York Times: "Jon is a true cinema original.
I"d rather be spit on by Jon than kissed by 95 percent of the directors out there.".