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2022 Midwest Video Poetry Fest Screening 1
This year's festival will be presented Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22, 2022 in person at ALL and features two exciting new additions—a family matinee with special short films made by and/or for kids and a live poetry reading and film collaboration. Each screening will have a unique lineup of films.
This unique film festival celebrates the amazing breadth of expression when one of humanity’s oldest art forms is interpreted through the lens of one of its newest. It has featured the best of this cutting-edge art form throughout the Midwest and from around the world, including work from 21 states and 28 countries. The featured videos range from 55 seconds to under 6 minutes long. They have all been created within the last two years, many of them within the last few months, promising a fresh, contemporary point of view. Come discover new poets from the Midwest and around the world, as well as seeing old favorites in a completely new light.
Friday, October 21
7:00 PM: Screening 1
Saturday, October 22
3:00 PM: Family Matinee
5:30 PM: Live Film + Poetry Event
7:00 PM: Screening 2
1) There's a Certain Slant of Light (5m)
Directed by Susan McCann
Written by Emily Dickinson
Louisiana, United States Susan McCann Website
Leaves, shadows, and landscape reveal the words of Emily Dickinson's poem, "There's a certain Slant of light," accompanied by the notes of Schoenberg and sounds of a winter garden.
There's a certain Slant of light, Winter Afternoons— That oppresses, like the Heft Of Cathedral Tunes—
2) One Night (0m55s)
Directed by Amara Rumi Doughtery
Written by Michael Bazzett
Pennsylvania, United States
"One Night" is a commissioned poem collaboration by award-winning poet Michael Bazzett of Chicago and thirteen-year-old autistic animator Amara Rumi Dougherty of Erie, PA.
3) If I Go Out Walking with My Dead Friends (05m21s)
Directed by Alkistis Kafetzi
Written by Ritta Boumi Pappas
Germany Alkistis Kafetzi's Website
A visualization of the poem "If I go out walking with my dead, written by Ritta Boumi Pappas, published in 1964. The belongs to the book "A thousand murdered girls" which consists of 65 poems, each named after a woman who was sentenced to death for participating in the Greek Resistance against the Nazis. "If I go out walking with my dead friends" is a humble memorial for the female heroines mentioned in Papa's lyrics but also for those who are currently fighting for freedom and a better tomorrow.
4) Petrykivka (3m52s)
Directed by Anne Ciecko
Written by Anne Ciecko
Massachusetts, United States
"Petrykivka" reconjures stories of heroism, everyday artifacts and spaces decorated with floral folk imagery, remediated viral video, and footage of acts of resistance—including the Ukranian woman who confronted a Russian soldier—and survival. Using object-based and hand-drawn animation, this DIY experimental videopoem vicariously witnesses and testifies to the transformative possibilities of imagination.
5) It's Midnight Already (4m00s)
Directed by Starr Sutherland
Written by Tongo Eisen-Martin
California, United States
“It’s Midnight Already” is a poem by Tongo Eisen-Martin, a poet, educator and organizer whose work centers on issues of mass incarceration, extrajudicial killings of Black people, and human rights. This video poem was commissioned by UCLA Center for the Art of Performance for the 2021 Tune In Festival.
6) Auditory (1m54s)
Directed by David Sampliner
Written by James Hoch
New Jersey, United States
A film of the poem “Auditory” by James Hoch from his collection Radio Static, featuring actor Peter Maloney.
7) The Beckoning (3m18s)
Directed by DeMar Walker
Written by Destinny Fletcher
Wisconsin, United States
“The Beckoning” is a dance short film that addresses the historical & political violence of displacement/dispossession inflicted on the Black body in hopes of signifying the inherent virtue of Black life within American society. The film features choreography by DeMar Walker, original poetry by Destinny Fletcher, and original music by Kellen “KLASSIK” Abston.
8) Nobody but the world (02m39s)
Directed by Maxime Coton
Written by Jahan Malik Khatun, translated by Paul Smith
Belgium
“Nobody but the World” features the work by the great female Sufi poet Jahan Malik Khatun who was a contemporary of Hafez. It weaves together footage from contemporary Iran, simple text, and audio of Jahān’s prayer-like poem with English subtitles.
9) The moment the sleeper knows he is dreaming (4m14s)
Directed by 嘉文 吴 (Wu Jiawen)
Written by Jorge Luis Borges, translated by Stephen Kessler
China
This is a video poem created for shift workers with sleep disorders. It recreates the state of insomnia and asks how do we reconcile body ethics with biological capital? The poem is based on Borges's “Break of Day.”
10) Advice for Live Bait (3m27s)
Directed by Patrick Moser
Written by Patrick Moser
Florida, United States Patrick Moser's Website
A video work exploring mimicry, performance and the anxiety of parenthood.
11) Crepuscular Inkling (3m10s)
Directed by Niko Sb
Written by Niko Sb
Wisconsin, United States
a love poem to midwest forests
12) Desire for Tranquility (1m00s)
Directed by Nikolaus Jantsch
Written by Nikolaus Jantsch
Austria
This short video poem animates the words of Austrian writer, essayist, and dramatist Antonio Fian, illustrating the desire for peace and quiet in a hectic, very fast-paced time, where the breathers are often neglected. It reminds us that our resilience depends, among other things, on the time off we take from the turmoil of everyday life.
13) Kissing Just Ain't Fun When You're Saying Goodbye (4m22s)
Directed by Griffith Charles Williams
Written by Griffith Charles Williams
Indiana, United States
The video about the end of a secret relationship was gathered on the road between Nebraska and Utah, as the creator helped a close friend move across the country. Footage captured from the viewfinder of a broken RCA VHS camcorder, DIY colorful film techniques, and a muffled recording of Hasil Adkins’s “Your Memories” contribute to the haunting and improvisational feel of this piece.
14) every diapsora poem is about mangos (2m50s)
Directed by Eden Sabolboro
Written by Jeni De La O
Michigan, United States Jeni De La O's website
This poem is an erasure by replacement that uses the diasporic symbol of a mango to interrupt and interrogate what we bury and what we grow, in language.
Full text of the poem available on the website.
15) Barbed Song (Canción de púas) (4m33s)
Directed by Abril Iberico Mevius
Written by Abril Iberico Mevius
Peru
At age 15, Abril Iberico found out that she was losing hearing in both ears. Sometimes it felt like a death sentence. When she started using hearing aids, she discovered sounds she’d never experienced before. Iberico uses self-portraits and decontextualized moving objects to invite people into her world—a space where sound turns to dust.
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.
