News about any and all events in which poetry films/videos are prominently featured, whether or not they include an open competition. Please let us know about any we might miss. And don’t forget to check out our page of links to poetry film festivals. All festivals, events and calls for work are mentioned by MovingPoems with our best efforts and in good faith. However, do check all details yourself as we cannot guarantee accuracy, and make your own judgements because we cannot verify the things that we share. Events may fail for a variety of genuine reasons, or may be a scam to elicit fees.
ZEBRA, the world’s most prestigious poetry film festival and competition, is fast approaching. Here’s the English version of the latest press release from Haus für Poesie:
The Zebra Poetry Film Festival will take place this year from June 5–8, running concurrently with the month-long Poesiefestival Berlin. For four days, the festival will showcase the diversity of poetry film in the Kuppelhalle at silent green.
More than 1,000 submissions from over 90 countries were received for this year’s International Competition. The competition films will be screened in two evening programs on June 6 and 7 at 7:30 PM.
In addition to the International Competition, the festival will present four thematic programs — Histories, Connections, Voices, and Hauntings— offering insight into the diversity of the poetry film scene with around 50 animations, fiction, experimental films, and documentaries. Both the films and the poems they are based on question history and current political conditions, explore identity and the ever-relevant longing for human connection, are guided by spirits, and travel through landscapes and memories. The films range from visionary dreams to clear documentary approaches — poetic and fearless.
The award ceremony for the International Competition will take place on Sunday, June 8 at 7:30 PM. Three awards totaling €9,000 will be awarded: the Zebra Award for the Best Poetry Film, the Goethe Film Award – The Art of Listening, and the Ritter Sport Film Award. The Goethe Prize will be presented by Dr. Wolf Iro, Head of Literature and Translation Promotion at the Goethe-Institut, while the Ritter Sport Prize will be awarded by Michael Edmund Böttner, Head of Bunte Schokowelt Berlin at Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG. This year’s jury consists of Christine Franz (editor at ARTE, Germany), Ariane von Graffenried (poet, Switzerland), and Anne Isensee (filmmaker, Germany). In the Zebrino Competition for children and youth, an audience award will also be presented. The award ceremony will feature live music by A.S. Fanning.
Alert readers may have noticed that Moving Poems failed to post ZEBRA’s cfw last year — entirely my fault for not paying closer attention to my inbox! I’ll try to do better this year. Congratulations and best of luck to all the filmmakers who submitted regardless and had films accepted for screening.
I’ve always been fascinated by sound. When I was at art college a very long time ago I was electrified by the way directors like David Lynch combined sound effects, music and voice to fantastic atmospheric and emotional effect.
So when I was invited to curate a series of films for this year’s REELpoetry festival in Houston, I knew straightaway that even though sound wasn’t the most original of themes, I wanted it to be my focus.
I chose eleven films by ten filmmakers, a tip-of-the-iceberg look at how different poetry filmmakers build soundscapes that play a leading role in creating the emotionally immersive world of the poetry film.
There were hundreds of films I could have chosen, but my way of whittling down the selection was choosing the films that have the most emotional punch for me personally. So, these are also some of my favourite poetry films.
Fran Sanders, Festival Director of REELpoetry, says, “Janet Lees’s beautifully curated selection of poetry films highlights the dynamic power and subtle influences of soundscapes, providing wide ranging examples of how they animate our emotional responses and impact our visual involvement.”
To get under the skin of how they manage this feat of animating our emotional responses, I asked the filmmakers for insight into their decisions regarding sound. Here are those insights, along with the films, in the order they were screened at the festival.
Lament
This animated film by Afroditi Bitzouni is inspired by the poem of the same name by Miltos Sachtouris, with music and sound design by Kyriakos Charalampides and Giuliano Anzani.
I love the way the sound works with the visual here, right down to how the poet’s voice is integrated. There’s a constant sense of threat and precariousness, but at the same time a dynamic feeling of hope – the irrepressible energy of life.
Afroditi says, “I wanted audiences to engage with the poem on multiple sensory levels. The sound is composed of narration, flute recordings, foley, and analog synthesizers, which were later digitally processed. The music aims to complement and emphasize the poet’s raw diction and articulation, while simultaneously aligning with the fast-paced rhythm of the animation.
“A series of musical phrases creates a sense of continuity leading toward a resolution that never arrives. Instead, the sound generates a constant climax that persists until the poem’s end, when everything dissolves into the void.”
Beyond Words
Directed by Helene Moltke-Leth, this deceptively simple film is based on a poem by Else Beyer Knuth-Winterfeldt.
Helene says, “Sound has always been a key focus in my work. At the first art school I attended at 19, I created a sound piece that was showcased in a sound cinema designed for the event. Later, I became one of the first female electronic DJs in Copenhagen, which led to a four-year role at Denmark’s national radio. My documentary filmmaking education at the National Film School of Denmark also emphasised sound design. All of these experiences have shaped my deep love for sound in my creative process.”
This film opens with sounds of mass communication and city life, a masterful combination of sound effects and music that propels you into the film. And then, sudden silence, accompanied by a black screen. Out of this, like dawn rising, emerges a natural landscape, combined with slower, gentler music and natural sounds.
“My idea was to juxtapose busy, everyday life with the calming stillness of nature, reflecting the spirit of the poem,” said Helene. “This contrast came together beautifully in the editing process, particularly with the jarring sound of the truck that transitions the audience into the calmness of nature.”
Throughout the film, one recurring note sounds. For me, this anchors everything and adds a layer of meaning. It feels like the tolling of a bell, a lament for everything we’ve lost and stand to lose, if we do not heed the call to respect and reconnect with nature.
Body Electric
There is stupendous subversion at play in this largely purloined piece by the inimitable Mike Hoolboom. Bookended by other footage, the body of the film is a stolen ad – an iPhone commercial in which an electric socket laments in song how much it’s missing being connected to the phone (because the phone’s charge lasts so long).
The film opens with a forest fire, before switching to the iPhone footage, accompanied by partially repeated broken phrases and electronic sound. The roar and crackle of flames, followed by unpredictable synthetic noise and the hypnotic anaphora – delivered in a robotic voice that somehow holds both bafflement and yearning – are fantastically effective in creating a world of deep unease and existential sorrow you can’t look away from.
Mike says, “The soundtrack is mostly stolen. I cut it to fit the iPhone commercial (more or less) then only added layers of electric bulbs, buzzes, line hums, etc.”
Our Bodies
Another brilliant example of subversion, this time by Matt Mullins, which I find completely mesmerising. I love how it’s a fully found poetic experience – visually, textually and sonically: a recycling of a broadcast by the Christian televangelist Oral Roberts. Its soundscape is incredibly effective – whenever I think about the film, I can recall the sound with great clarity.
Matt says, “The soundtrack is directly tied to the source material and the creative process for that particular piece. The uncarved block of marble I started with was the original footage/soundtrack of that Oral Robert’s televangelist broadcast. When it came to me to make a visual/sonic cut up/erasure out of that source material/sermon, it seemed natural to do a cut up/loop of the music that accompanied the broadcast as the soundtrack/score.
“So what you’re hearing is a loop and distortion of the original organ music soundtrack that was played live at the beginning and the end of his sermon. I took that audio, looped it, added some dirt and other effects and let it gel with the visuals. It all happened rather organically and was part of that piece’s fever-dream process, which was basically two twelve-hour days back to back that resulted in the finished videopoem.”
What the Thunder Said
Pamela Falkenberg and Jack Cochran are a mighty double-act on the poetry film scene. Their immersive soundscapes are momentous and at the same time curiously intimate. I would recognise a Jack-and-Pam soundtrack anywhere, and it always feels as though it’s playing inside my head.
This film is a masterclass in propulsive sound, which dovetails with the unfolding found poem (based on ‘The Wasteland’ by TS Eliot), and Pam and Jack’s drive-by footage, to create a kind of poetry road movie.
Pam says, “The footage was filmed after Jack wrote the cento poem, and we went out on location to find evocative footage that matched the tenor of the lines of the cento. We had some specific locations we wanted to use, including White Sands National Park in southern New Mexico, and Gary, Indiana, once an important part of the US steel industry, but now largely moribund. And we also shot whatever we saw in transit that seemed relevant to the poem.
“Most of the film was shot using our iPhones, because the stabilization is remarkable. We wanted a soundscape score that would function as diegetic sound. Some of that sound was stuff that we’ve recorded and saved as a library, but a lot of it is sound that other filmmakers and sound guys share on the internet, and some of it comes from Final Cut Pro and other editing software resources. Compared to what it was like to create analog sound mixes using 16mm film flatbed editing equipment, which was state of the art when we were young, digital video and audio comes close to nirvana.”
Here we have whistling winds, howling winds, and what Pam evocatively calls “empty and fearful winds”, along with eerie melodic water sounds, industrial noise, and a symphony of insects.
Pam explains, “Another reason we like to make soundscapes to accompany our poetry films is that they function like a musical score. A lot of our poetry films involve the natural world, and we like the idea of using natural sounds in a musical way to create a soundscape. Our soundscapes are composed from imagined diegetic sounds. We think about what we want to hear, and go looking for it, and sometimes we find it. Other times, we find stuff we weren’t exactly looking for, but is unexpectedly evocative. Sometimes serendipity works for us, so we try to stay open to it.”
Unseen
This breathtakingly powerful film by Helmie Stil, with a soundscape by Lennert Busch, is based on a poem by spoken word artist Sjaan Flikweert.
The poem is inspired by women who have endured domestic violence. The power of the film’s soundscape lies in its quietness, a direct contrast with the ear-splitting loudness of domestic violence. The whispered words and underwater-muffled sounds speak to silencing and suppression.
Helmie says, “The idea of whispering the poem came from interviews I had with women in a safe house. Some of them told me they whispered to their children and in general they had the feeling they should whisper in the house so they didn’t upset their husbands.
“Personally I think you listen more carefully to the poem because of the whispering. You really want to hear what is said, so the voice gets a stronger position. The whispering also gives a feeling of intimacy, it draws you into the inner world of the woman. It symbolises that the women are heard and seen.
“The underwater sounds emphasise the isolation. When you are underwater, the sounds are subdued and you get in your own world. Your inner world becomes more important, and it’s just yourself. You hold your breath. Women who experience domestic violence always hold their breath, but in their day to day life. I wanted to give the audience the same feeling (of holding your breath) while watching the film.”
Future Perfect
Ian Gibbins is renowned for his propulsive soundtracks and this film is no exception. It harnesses the energy of a music video while simultaneously subverting that energy with dystopian messages from a futuristic Babel. The language in the film is not so much deconstructed as blasted apart, accompanied by a terrifically exciting maximalist soundtrack.
Ian says, “I recorded the voice first: it’s one of the Apple text-to-voice readers that comes with the system. I liked the American tinge to the accent for some reason. The main text is so abbreviated that it’s actually hard to read in real life, so I wanted to see how the text-to-speech would work. Ususally I have to tweak the text a bit when I do this so that the machine reading says the right things, but this time I just went with whatever it produced.
“I wanted the soundtrack to be loud and aggressive, so then I wrote the music and fitted the vocal around it. As is my usual process, the tempo was set to make synchonising the video and audio edits easier – 120 bpm. Once the basic audio was done, I did the text animations to match it. As the video came together, I went back and redid some of the audio – eg the rising tones that come in during the word lists. Getting the final sound mix was tricky: I wanted the vocals to be clear but well embedded in all the noise of the backing.”
Swallow #8
I’m a huge fan of Kristy Bowen’s videopoems, and there are several I could have chosen. I chose this one partly because it sits at the opposite end of the maximalist-minimalist spectrum to Ian’s Future Perfect, but mainly because when I first saw it (courtesy of the Moving Poems newsletter), it stopped me in my tracks.
When I found out that Kristy made it when she had zero experience of poetry film, I was even more impressed. As well as being a great poet, she is also a natural at creating the ‘new poetic experience’ Tom Konyves says a poetry film should be.
Kristy says, “When I was working on the series, I was very new to making video poems, so I was sort of all over the place. I used public domain music for some, my own voiceovers for others. This particular piece felt like the visuals carried most of the weight, so I went with something that allowed them a bit more room and attention. I found it on archive.org which had many recordings of natural sounds that were free to use. It is probably the most silent of the SWALLOW pieces, but it may be my favorite because of that. That spareness was something I kept in mind going forward and as I worked on other series.”
Demi Demons
While there is no ‘official’ poetry in this film by Martin Gerigk, there is language, in both the chapter headings (commandments from the ‘Book of the Eel’) and the distorted words, cries, whispers, murmurs and hums that shimmer through Martin’s masterful soundscape.
At REELpoetry, Chris Pacheco, the director of Festival Fotogenia, talked about the diverse ways in which poetry can be found in film, not always in words. I feel that the combination of iconography and sound in this film creates its own poetic narrative. As he explains below, Martin has synaesthesia, as do I, although we experience it in different ways. In poetry and literature, synaesthesia is a rhetorical device or figure of speech where one sense is described in terms of another. It’s used to great effect in poetry, and poetry film, with crossings-over of visual/text/sound, is a great vehicle for it.
The soundscape in Demi-Demons is mind-blowing, an epic poem in itself, underpinning a momentous film that is currently earning accolades from many festivals as it does the rounds of the experimental film circuit.
Martin says, “I am a synesthete by birth, which means that I experience specific colors, shapes, and movements when I listen to music, speech, or sounds. As a professional music composer, I use this ability to enhance the visual elements of my films by creating soundscapes that synesthetically align with what is shown on screen.
“For Demi-Demons, I sought out particular sounds and noises that synesthetically correspond to every element in the overall visual composition of each scene, combining them into a complex, narratively driven audible landscape. Often, I position these sounds within a virtual space to express the three-dimensional structures I perceive in the scenes. For the vocal elements, I created specific spoken, whispered, shouted, murmured, and sung patterns, which were recorded, edited, and integrated into the soundscapes to achieve the distinct demonic quality required for the film.
“Each sound element is treated like a musical note in a conventional composition – a technique I developed a few years ago. As a result, the soundscape of Demi-Demons, in combination with the film’s visual style, is not merely a soundtrack but rather an orchestral audiovisual composition.”
Demi-Demons is not yet on general release, but the trailer more than gives a flavour.
I c
A clock ticks, a heart beats, and the whole film ‘blinks’. This perfect marriage of sound and vision is a terrific way of introducing the film as a sentient being, a conceit which Helene Moltke-Leth pulls off with great skill, wit and elan in this hugely engaging and powerful film.
Voice is at the heart of I c’s compelling soundscape. The first voice we hear – the ‘I’ voice of the film – is intimate, seductive, pulling you in. From there we switch to another voice, then another, then the voices speaking together. The voice changes keep you hooked, as do the tick and the heartbeat that sound throughout the film.
Helene says, “It is the film itself that is the protagonist in ‘I c’. Usually, the film is the form and the illusion we buy into through which we follow a main protagonist and supporting characters who must undergo a development. In ‘I c’ it is the film itself, which develops from woman to man, from younger to older, from individual to a multi-gendered ‘we’ – from the individual’s questions of identity to the survival of the planet. This ‘we’ is ultimately an omniscient voice coming from within Mother Earth, which articulates the serious climate crises that all of humanity is facing now, no matter who you are. I believe it is important to raise questions in art and this film is one long line of questions.
“Right from the onset and ideation of ‘I c’ I wanted the sound image to consist of a heartbeat and a ticking bell. These sounds symbolically fit well with the narration of the voices. A heart that beats is an absolute necessity for us to be alive. The ticking bell indicates that we need to change our behaviour in this world, otherwise the heart will stop. Both sounds also give the narrative momentum. The rhythmic heartbeat acts as a bass drum, and the ticking bell as a hi-hat. As the work evolved, I also wanted to incorporate the sound of water into the work – both the notion of being below the water surface as well as in the middle of dripping rain. The sound of water gives a dynamic to the soundscape, and water is a common thread in humanity. We cannot live without water, and if we continue life in the way we do now, consistently warming the earth, then large masses of ice will melt, and many people and communities will be flooded by water.”
Build me a Cottage
The soundscape of this beautiful film by Pat Van Boeckel, based on a poem by the legendary Fernando Pessoa, is simple. A straightforward combination of natural sounds, a relatively spare musical score, and voice. Straightforward, yet perfectly balanced. Sometimes there’s just too much going on sound-wise in poetry films. While maximalism can be brilliantly effective when handled well, it can sometimes be intrusive, drowning out the poem and the visuals, preventing you hearing, seeing and feeling them.
Because of that perfectly balanced simplicity, this soundscape lodged itself in my consciousness the first time I saw the film two years ago, and stayed there. Like a river, it brings with it the poem and the beautiful and astonishing visuals, in a work of art that for me is unforgettable. The two-note refrain that sounds throughout the film set up a permanent echo in me; when I think of those two notes they bring back the entire film in vivid clarity. This is one of those rare poetry films that cracks my heart wide open. I think that is a lot to do with the choice of music and how it layers with the natural sounds and the deep, resonant voice, ending with a descent into silence.
Pat says, “From experience, I’ve learned never to choose a poem in advance and then look for images. During the filming of this project, I was invited as a visual artist. I first created a house made of white fabric in an old, abandoned factory where they used to process wool.
It was in Portugal, so naturally, I had brought a collection of Pessoa’s poetry with me. I had already filmed everything except the naked man at the end. I only shot that scene after I was certain I wanted to use this specific poem.”
The way Pat describes his editing process, in terms of the part music plays in it, coincides exactly with mine.
“Once home, I could gain some distance with time. Searching for and finding music gives me a sense of direction and hope that it might become something worthwhile. Music raises the bar because I often find it so beautiful and powerful – it helps me push past my occasional bouts of insecurity.
“When I have the music, I usually let it guide me entirely. The music ‘dictates’ the editing process. I then add the background and consider where the emphasis should lie. In this case, the sheep and how the silence builds toward the end, making the stillness even more profound.”
For those who are not familiar with REELpoetry, it is one of the highlights of the international poetry film festival circuit.
This year the festival ran between 31 March and 12 April, expanding its online presence to show a huge range of films, including juried submissions from 14 countries, many of them premieres, as well as themed programmes curated by invited directors. An addition for 2025 was a series of poetry videos created by young artists aged 18 and under.
Every year the festival also features the vibrant REELcafé, hosted daily by Fran Sanders. This virtual space provides a platform for filmmakers, poets, videographers, viewers, curators, creatives, submission judges, and friends both old and new to connect, converse, and network.
The long-running Videobardo Archivo y Festival Internacional de Videopoesía, as they’re now calling it, has issued a CFW on social media for its 2025 festival, with a Google form for submissions:
Videobardo Archive and International Videopoetry Festival, founded in 1996, opens its call for submissions to be part of a new edition of the Festival, which will take place in November in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
We understand videopoetry as those audiovisual works in which poetic verbal language —whether word, letter, speech, or writing, as well as visual and/or sound signs— plays a central role or receives a special treatment. In this way, the three fundamental elements —moving image, sound, and verbal language— engage in a dialogue to create a distinct reality that constitutes the Videopoetic Work.
This links to a PDF on Google Drive for the terms and conditions. Here’s their English translation:
A. Video poems may be submitted in single-channel format. B. It is an essential condition that the copyright and projection rights are in the name of the person presenting the work or artist’s autorization. (Productors) C. The theme is free and there is no duration limit or realization date required. D. Each artist can submit more than one work if they wish. E. Each work must be submitted in this call until AUGUST 10, 2025 in the link: https://forms.gle/XejZZ7xCzorqy8yK6 F. For any work in a language other than Spanish, we request subtitles in Spanish. Subtitling may be dispensed with as long as the artist and VideoBardo consider that it does not affect the understanding of the work. G. A selection will be made among the works received, which will be exhibited as part of the Festival programming. H. Given the independent nature of VideoBardo, it does not have the financial means to pay fees or shipping costs to participating artists. I. The material sent will become part of the VideoBardo archive. J. The submission of the works implies that the artists authorize the display of fragments or images of the works in the media that VideoBardo considers pertinent during the Festival and its subsequent itinerances. K. The copyright on the work is the exclusive property of the artist who allows VideoBardo its exhibition and dissemination. L. The material from the VideoBardo archive cannot be copied, only consulted. M. We are open to considering proposals within what we call “expanded” videopoetry, that is, works that include poetry in an experimental format or that are close to videopoetry including verbal language + image + sound. Examples: Videopoetic installation, poetic VJ, visual and/or sound poetry, poetic Net Art, Cinepoetry. Videoclip or Videopoetic Documentary, Videoperformance and Videodance. N. The material sent after the closing date of the call will not be considered for the Festival 2025, however it will enter the permanent call of our VideoBardo Archive for future exhibitions. O. The sending of the material implies the acceptance of these bases and any aspect not contemplated in these regulations will be resolved by VideoBardo.
Submissions are open from 1st May – 31st August 2025. Entries made outside of these dates cannot be considered. You may submit as many films as you like – each must interpret or convey a poem (present in its entirety, audibly and/or visually) and have been completed after the 1st of May 2023.
Entries may not exceed 10 minutes in duration. Non-English or non-Irish language films will require English subtitles.
Awards and Prizes
A shortlist of 30 International poetry-films will be screened in Cork on 30th November 2025. One overall winner will receive the Ó Bhéal award for best International poetry-film, designed by glass artist Michael Ray, along with a prize of 500 euros.
A second shortlist of 15 Irish poetry-films will also be screened in Cork on 30th November 2025. A prize of 250 euros will be awarded for the best Irish poetry-film. Irish entries are automatically eligible for both categories.
Judges
The judges for 2025 are Colm Scully and Paul Casey. The shortlist will be announced during October 2025, and screened (& live streamed & winners announced) in Cork city at a venue TBC, on Sunday 30th November 2025.From 1st May 2025 you can submit via FilmFreeway (€5.00 per entry)
Drumshanbo County Leitrim, Ireland, hosts an annual literary festival bringing together some of Ireland’s finest writers and poets to celebrate the written word. As part of this we host an annual Poetry Film competition open to filmmakers and poets from everywhere. Each year we have an evening where we screen the shortlisted films as part of the festival’s opening ceremony. Send your entries and come join us in this beautiful Lakelands town in August.
The films must have been made more recently than January 2023, and should not exceed ten minutes. June 30 is the deadline. Visit Film Freeway for all the rules and terms.
The upcoming International Video Poetry Festival in Athens looks to be a massive affair, with 97 films and 33 live performances from 43 countries, all free (with a suggested donation), on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 April at the Empros theater in Athens.
International Video Poetry Festival celebrates twelve years of creative collaboration with more than 2000 artists from 85 countries in general, a world of poetic visions for the benefit of humanity. Poetry, cinema, music and spoken word come together to communicate the inspiration, dreams, ideas and hopes of all of us. This year the festival hosts significant artists such as Capétte, Amanda Shea, J.Chambers and Mad Kate, among other top international performers of the spoken word scene. […]
The Institute for Experimental Arts founded the International Video Poetry Festival in 2011, introducing the art of Video Poetry to the Athenian audience for the first time. Inspired by the digital platform Moving Poems (USA), the festival has evolved into a dynamic international field of collaboration between artists from America, Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Through its Show Room Video Poetry Zone and Live Performance Zone, IVPF creates an open public space for all forms of contemporary visual poetry, spoken word performances, concerts, video art shows, workshops, and lectures.
The 12th International Video Poetry Festival will take place in Athens at Fri. 11 and Sat. 12 April 2025. The festival attempts to create an open public space for the creative expression of all tendencies and streams of contemporary visual poetry. The IVPF has been around since 2011. It is one of the largest international platforms for video poetry. Every year, it offers poets, film directors, video artists and festival makers from all over the world a platform for creative exchange, brainstorming and meeting with a broad audience. Poetry readings, live performances, concerts, retrospectives, exhibitions, performances, workshops and lectures showcase the diversity of the genres of video poetry and spoken-word music.
The International Video Poetry Festival happens in two different zones. The first day is the Show Room Video Poetry, a unique cinema hall zone that will include video poems, visual poems, short film poems and cinematic poetry and performances by artists from all over the world (America, Asia, Europe, Africa). The second day is the Live Performance Zone with multimedia poetry readings, concerts of experimental music, workshops and spoken word lives.
Poets, filmmakers, video and digital artists, media and performance artists are called to submit creative works to the 12th Annual International Video Poetry Festival in Athens, Greece. The festival celebrates and will screen a large scope of video projects developed through the medium of poetry. The International Video Poetry Festival will also host a series of panels, guest speakers, workshops, and public dialogues regarding film and video poetry. In addition to the screenings, programmers also curate a video art exhibition.
There are no restrictions regarding when the film was produced or if the film has premiered regionally or internationally. There are no restrictions on subject matter, theme, topic, or the language of origin. The International Video Poetry Festival will accept submissions of poetry films, filmpoems, digital-poetry, poetry video, Cin(E)-Poetry, spoken word films, videopoema, visual poetry, choreopoems, poetrinca, media poetry, and all films and videos that are driven visually by text or voice.
Live performances, video mapping, installation proposals, and grand-scale video art presentations that contain strong aspects of poetry are encouraged. The IVPF also calls for experimental film and video work that explores poetry or literature whether it be oral, written, visual, or symbolic. This includes non-narrative work and the avant-garde.
The IVPF strongly considers artwork that examines and challenges traditional visual communication methods while continuing to function as a tool for exploring poetry. The International Video Poetry Festival will consider documentaries that focus on poets, poems, poetry, poetic technique, literary movements, and historical events within these realms. The documentaries must have English or Greek subtitles.
The IVPF also calls for video work that explores poetry and literature whether it be oral, written, visual, or symbolic. This includes the film essay or cinematic essay, non-narrative work, and the avant-guard. We will also strongly consider work that challenges traditional and current visual communication methods while continuing to function as a mode for exploring narrative and personal expression.
Organizer and promoter of the International Video Poetry Festival are the Institute for Experimental Arts in co-operation with Void Network.
Awards & Prizes
Every year the committee of the Institute for Experimental Arts the 10 most outstanding video poems of the annual festival. Τhe committee is composed of the official member of the nonprofit cultural society Institute for Experimental Arts.
Rules & Terms
Deadline: All submissions must be submitted, emailed, or postmarked no later than 15 February, 2025.
One project title per submission form is allowed. All languages are allowed (including English or Greek subtitles)
Artwork based on poems and not longer than 20 minutes can be submitted. All languages are allowed.
From the submissions, a program committee makes the artwork selection for the festival program. A jury made up of representatives from the fields of poetry, film and media will select the video poems. The 12th International Video Poetry Festival will not offer notes or feedback on any submitted films or projects. No revisions will be accepted once an entry has been received. Once payment has been processed, IVPF will not provide a refund. All decisions made by the committee will be final, and no refund of the submission fee will be provided.
ALL ENTRIES must be subtitled in English or in Greek. In the event that the submitted project is accepted for inclusion within the 12th International Video Poetry Festival the submitter agrees to provide each of the following rights to The 12th International Video Poetry Festival without reservations, conditions, or qualifications: (a) the right to use footage, stills, and information from or relating to the project for promotional purposes (b) the right to issue and authorize publicity concerning the filmmakers and the project and to use all associated names, likenesses and biographical information.
The IVPF will announce the 2024 program selection in April 2025. The 12th International Video Poetry Festival will take place on April 11-12.
The International Video Poetry Festival is a project of the Institute for Experimental Arts in cooperation with Void Network in Athens / Greece. If you have any questions : theinstitutecontact(at)gmail.com
Process Submission Fee
Deadline for all submissions is February 15, 2025. The submission fee is 8 euros per video or media project.
If you want to propose us a performance, lecture or any other idea, you are very welcome to send them to the following email: videopoetryfestival [@] gmail.com
Somehow we missed the opening-date announcement back in July, but poetry filmmakers still have until February 25 to submit to the 2025 festival. Here’s the call-out:
Through the Weimar Poetry Film Award the Literary Society of Thuringia and the Weimar Animation Club are looking for innovative poetry films.
The aim of the award is to improve the exchange between authors and filmmakers in Thuringia and Central Germany, to sharpen the perception of poetry in multimedia contexts, and to create more awareness for the experimental short film genre »poetry film«.
The competition is part of the Poetryfilmtage (International Poetry Film Festival of Thuringia).
Filmmakers from any nation and of any age are welcome to participate with up to three short films of up to 10:00 mins, which explore the relation between film and written poetry in an innovative, straightforward way. Films that are produced before 2022 will not be considered.
The Weimar Poetry Film Award stands for an independent and competent awarding process. The jury is international and consists of three jurors with expertise in the fields of poetry, film production or criticism, and festival organization. The competition films are nominated by a program commission. During the festival, the jury selects the winners of the Jury Prizes in the categories »Best Animation« and »Best Real Film«. Both awards are endowed with € 1,200. A €250 audience prize will also be awarded by the cinema audience.
The competition »Weimar Poetry Film Award« is financed by the State Chancellery of Thuringia, the Sparkasse Mittelthüringen, and the City of Weimar.
Once again, this August, we gathered in Drumshanbo to screen our 18 shortlisted films. It was a miserable Friday evening and we could hear the driving rain cascade off the roof and hammer down the drain pipes of The Old Mayflower Ballroom, a thousand miles away from the baking sunshine, open doors, and coffee stand days of the two previous years. Still, the people came and Willie, along with his faithful dog, worked his technical magic, setting up screen and sound so we could cozy down to two hours of entertainment and prize giving.
This year we were chuffed to have 175 entries from 21 countries worldwide, with a huge sweep of talent present from established film makers and new names. As I said at my intro I could have easily chosen a totally different 18 and they would have been just as good. However in the spirit of eclecticism and inclusiveness I chose films from a myriad of styles and practices. The result, I think, was a selection where everyone in the crowd found something to enjoy.
Still image from Bakers Son by Patrick Gamble
We had humour and slapstick comedy from Australia’s Patrick Gamble with Bakers Son. We had black humour and collage animation from the US with Michael Mitchell’s Resume (an account of Dorothy Parkers famous poem about suicide). It was very gratifying to be able to show Finn Harvor’s excellent elegy of his late father, which contained humour and pathos in equal measure. People were very taken with the rhythms and musicality of Kenneth Karthik’s Punjabi Market from Canada. The subtle message about sexuality and how different communities and cultures adapt to a changing world really struck home. Barry Hollow’s Cap-cut created-struggles of life-piece was touching, and it was wonderful to hear the Scots of his childhood. I must say it reminded me very much of Burns with his ‘many a slip twixt cup and lip’. Eileen and her crew provided half time refreshments, wine and nibbles, then we returned to more great films.
Still from Resume by Michael Mitchell
At the end we introduced the poets/filmmakers who had travelled. Mary Guckian, from just over the road (the first lady of Leitrim Poetry) spoke of how Eamon De Burca adapted her poem Night Time, a tale of childhood memories. His two daughters starred and chose their own dresses. It was a realistic interpretation, but the subtle film work and touching reminiscences made it very satisfying.
Tara Luger and Julia Galley from Vienna and Freiburg traveled specially for the event. They made their film as part of an Erasmus module assignment while studying in Belgium. The narration was in Japanese and the narrative had us thinking all sorts of things until the final twist explained everything. Houseplants has to be watched to be appreciated. They regaled us later in the pub with stories of their Irish connections.
Csilla Toldy, a well known poetry film maker and lecturer, came south and explained to us the story of Jewish Lithuanian poetess Matilda Olkinaite (My Dear Idealist). Csilla’s use of refrain, overlay, historical images and aged modern footage created a haunting space in which to relay the poignant poetry of the victim of Nazism.
Anne MacDonald spoke emotionally of her own mother, who was the subject of the short animated piece, Crows’ Books. Animated by her niece (Kate Hanlon—away in Australia) it was very much a family affair.
Ceara Carney, actor and tour guide, came from Dublin. There were fewer environmentally driven films submitted this year, I hope that is not a symptom of climate change fatigue. Ceara’s film Residents of 49 represented the cause well, her spoken-word mastery energising with rhyme the beautifully filmed (on super 8) goings on of nature in her back garden.
There were other great films, such as Olaf Boqwist’s Pained Flowers/Printed Leaves from Germany, Jane Glennie and James Kenward’s Dark, Mersolis Shone’s Repeat from Austria, Andre Chiaradi’s My Son, Diek Grobler’s – I haven’t told my garden yet, Brent Walbilligs – Ad Hominem from Canada, a film of post imperial introspection.
But there had to be winners, and Eileen O’Toole, our Chairperson, awarded, in absentia, a lovely set of handmade Drumshanbo pottery to Marcella O’Connor from Kerry, for Best Irish Poetry Film. Her film, Night Drags, touched me. It was an interpretation of a poem by Aogán O’Rathaille (the Gaelic Bard of the 17th Century). I am forever intrigued by old Ireland and this piece, filmed so beautifully around the west coast, capturing rutting stags in Killarney and keening heard of seals on a Blasket beach, seemed to reach deep into the past to that time of desolation and dispossession. Also it was nice to have an Irish language poem in the set.
Still from Blink Once by Jim Haverkamp
But our winner, this year for the first time from outside of Ireland, was Jim Haverkamp’s Blink Once. A film he made when paired with the fine American poet, Karin Gottshall as part of the Filmetry Project in Michigan. Jim gave us his acceptance speech via video, humouring us with his jibes about Jameson Whiskey while explaining how he made the film by combining the discovery of an old book about metal detecting with Karin’s poem of childhood memory. Many people asked me why I picked it. Put simply, it worked for me. It brought the magic out. The magic of the poem, the magic of the story. It’s all the little things that make it work. The old-style, low-definition camera work, the stark colours (blue, brown, white). The pacing and dramatic intent in the narrator’s voice. The lack of connection between the visual and the words, and yet paradoxically, the perfect symmetry between them. And of course the perfect words; words about gender, sexuality maybe, or just about dreaming and hope, longing. Whatever it was, it was beautiful.
REELpoetry/HoustonTX 2025 is open for submissions. The organizers say that “By popular demand, we’re extending the submission time to six months.” The festival will take place “online March 31- April 4; in person APRIL 5-6; with online workshops April 7-11.” They also note some other changes:
NEW! What could be better than videopoetry to engage coming generations of tech savvy youth. We’re delighted to support poets and filmmakers 18 and under at the festival with a new FREE “Young Creatives” program. If you’re a parent or a teacher, please encourage your kids to submit to this free program. See Rules & Terms for details specific to this program.
NEW IN 2025! We’re thinking about categories differently, and curious to see how one category where the poet and filmmaker are the same person and another where the poet and filmmaker are different plays out. Five notable international curators and presenters who have participated in our past festivals will be judging the submissions. They can’t wait to see your work!
8th Annual Cadence Video Poetry Festival, Still Image: “Adhan” (2023) by Kamyar Mohsenin
Now in its eighth year, Cadence Video Poetry Festival is open for submissions from July 1st 2024 through January 15th 2025. The hybrid festival, which features screenings, workshops and discussions on poetry film, will take place in person in Seattle from Apr 25–27 & online Apr 25 – May 4. Selected video poems receive an artist’s payment.
According to Rana San, Co-Director/Co-Curator of the festival, “Participation in Cadence is open to work that is new or old, short or epic, premiere or seasoned traveler. If it combines text and moving image, we want to see it!”
The festival’s description is worth highlighting:
“Video poetry is language as light. As an art form, video poetry is lucid and liminal—on the threshold of the literary and the moving image. It articulates the poetic image visually, rather than metaphorically—it shifts words from page to screen, from ink to light. A video poem makes meaning that would not exist if text was without image, image without text.”
Cadence also puts on a Virtual Poetry Book Fair during each festival, the most recent of which is still available online.
Cadence Submission Poster (2025)
Additionally, artists can also apply for the Cadence Artist-in-Residence program, which “provides resources and tools for the development of a new video poem to screen at the festival.” Launched in 2019 and open to Seattle-area residents, the program accepts applications from individual artists or collaborative teams. Those selected are granted access to the Northwest Film Forum’s film equipment and editing lab. The deadline for residency applications is December 15, 2024.
An online archive of selected award-winning videopoems from the festival is available on their website for those interested. However, screening the films requires ticket purchase from Northwest Film Forum’s Eventive virtual cinema. Some filmmakers recently selected for Cadence have made their work available on other platforms, such as “Only” (2023) a film by Maxine Flasher-Düzgüneş based on a Rebecca Foust poem, featured previously on Moving Poems.
The annual festival is organized by Chelsea Werner-Jatzke and Rana San and hosted at the independent film and arts nonprofit, Northwest Film Forum, founded in Seattle in 1995. Cadence has become a fixture on the video poetry festival circuit so send in your work!