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Midwest Video Poetry Fest 2023 Day 1
Join us for the 4th annual Midwest Video Poetry Fest on Saturday, October 14, 2023 and Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 7 PM for live reading and video collaborations followed by a screening of the best new poetry videos from around the world. These films include original poems, experimental works, animation, translations, and more. Filmmakers, poets, and festival organizers will be on hand for a short Q&A after the screening.
This event will be held live at ALL in Madison. Seating is limited; admission is $5.
1) Learn to Swim Pt 2 (5m6s)
Directed by Carlos Zaya
Written by Ehimwenma Joshua Idehen
United Kingdom
Joshua Idehen recites a poem—a collection of dozens of aphorisms about living a more fulfilling life, including the benefits of learning how to swim.
2) you _ me (1m14s)
Directed by Yolanda Moreno Torrado
Written by
Spain Creator's Website
Metaphor and connotation establish dialogues that generate different angles of reflection in each one. "you _ me" is a self-discursive construction, which invites others to build their own discourses.
3) Because You Speak of Fur (3m13s)
Directed by Patricia Delso Lucas, Johanna Wagner
Written by Georg Leß
Belgium
Adaptated from "Anderkatt" (The Haircut) by Berlin-based author Georg Leß, "Because You Speaker of Fur" is an exchange of imagery and soundscapes as a result of an interrupted conversation between two women: one who is out on an expedition, the other one at home following the expedition from afar.
4) "reverence" (3m30s)
Directed by M Freeman
Written by M Freeman
United States Author Website
A meditation on the irrepressible awe of being, "reverence" is a selection from Cinema Divina, M's ongoing series of genre-fluid films (short, autobiographic, poetic, psalm-like, essayistic) created through contemplative practice.
5) Hypnic Jerk (2m55s)
Directed by Pamela Falkenberg, Jack Cochran
Written by Alan Peat
United States Outlier Moving Pictures
A wholly imaginary world cut from the cloth of Rousseau’s fantastical paintings and the dream illogic of Alan Peat’s fragmented poem "Hypnic Jerk."
6) For the Skeptical (3m14s)
Directed by Dawn Westlake
Written by Dawn Westlake
United States Ron De Cana Prods
Interrogates what constitutes truth in our media-saturated and politically autocratic societies.
7) Gaps (6m16s)
Directed by Gabriella Cisneros
Written by Oliver Burkeman
United States
Inspired by and containing quotes from Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, "Gaps" deliberates the ways that we fill a day and our relationship to imperfections and the future.
8) According to Sun Ra, None of Us Are Real (04m38s)
Directed by Naima Lowe
Written by Naima Lowe
United States
Naima Lowe disrupts conventional notions of the biopic in this genre-nonconforming piece centering the mundane queerness of legendary Sun Ra—the prototype Afrofuturist and hugely influential jazz musician. A genre-fluid classic, According to Sun Ra, None of Us Are Real is a liberating tonic honoring the ordinary queerness of a Black legend.
Poet, educator, and Cave Canem co-founder Cornelius Eady performs his poem "The Racist Bone" in a film shot in Poets House in New York City.
11) Burial Rites (1m43s)
Directed by Marius Grose
Written by Marius Grose
United Kingdom
Through layered images of the natural world, "Burial Rites" explores themes of transformation, dislocation, growth, and decay to create a new state of being. The mirroring of language phrases in the poem build a rhythm and shape to both poem and film.
12) Davenport (1m30s)
Directed by Michelle Marie Kelley
Written by Michelle Marie Kelley
United States
A Short animated poem with original score. Made with pressure prints hand stenciled and printed on a Vandercook letterpress. Over 300 prints were made to complete each frame of this film.
13) Dunes (7m15s)
Directed by Eta Dahlia
Written by Eta Dahlia
United States
A durational videopoem that explores the communal fluidity and interdependence through minimalist poetry. The single words deconstruct, intermingle, and empower each other to form enriching connections.
Thank you to our sponsors for making this festival possible!
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Arts + Literature Laboratory is located at 111 S. Livingston Street #100, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703.
Our galleries are normally open Tuesday through Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday noon to 5pm, and other programs take place throughout the week. Please check the events calendar and education section for details.
