Filmpoem has been invited to make the keynote speech at ReVersed Poetry Film Festival held in Amsterdam from 4-6th April. ReVersed is new, bold and exciting: “ReVersed Poetry Film Festival is launching its first edition, inviting artists, poets and filmmakers to explore the intersection between poetry and film.
With its scope encompassing screenings, performances and talks, ReVersed is the first festival in the Netherlands to focus on the poetry film genre. Co-hosted by Perdu, Kriterion and OT301, it seeks both to illuminate the growing field of poetry film as well as to broaden it by providing an opportunity for filmmakers to participate in an open call for submissions.”
ReVersed has a refreshing and experimental understanding of the genre: “A filmic equivalent of poetry, poetry film is distinct from a poetic film in its aesthetic: it incorporates text, whether written or spoken, within its frames – a poem taking shape on screen. We invite you to explore the emerging field of poetry filmmaking: although most notably outlined by Tom Konyves’ manifesto and Alastair Cook’s Filmpoem project, it remains an open-ended area, an opportunity for experimentation. The works carried out in most innovative and creative ways will be screened and awarded at the festival.”
Their website is http://www.reversed.nu
Oskar Fischinger’s “Optical Poem” (1936). A must see for the semantically impaired video poetry enthusiasts!
Consider this citation from Mieke Bal’s “Travelling Concepts in the Humanities: a Rough Guide” (2002): On the use of words for concepts, and the inevitable difference between applications of the same concept, “There are, for example, many reasons for referring to images or films as ‘texts.’ Such references entail various assumptions, including the idea that images have, or produce, meaning, and that they promote such analytical activities as reading. To make a long story short, the advantage of speaking of ‘visual texts’ is that it reminds the analyst that lines, motifs, colours, and surfaces, like words, contribute to the production of meaning; hence that form and meaning cannot be disentangled.”
So looking forward to this!