I would like to introduce my latest poetry film. In fact, the first idea was filmed in 2018, but the poem didn't 'arrive' in my mind until earlier this year. Sometimes, I think you just have to wait! It has had its first screening as part of LYRA poetry festival, Bristol on 3 April, when I screened the finalists of the first edition of The Frame to Frames: Your Eyes Follow ekphrastic poetry film prize. Of course my own film wasn't part of the competition! Helen Dewbery of Poetry Film Live curated a screening under the festival theme of 'Breaking Boundaries: New Worlds. This, in many ways is a follow-up to Selfie with Marilyn, being a performative poetry film, but it has a strong message for all women suffering abuse. Here is the synopsis:
Villanelle for Elizabeth not Ophelia Shakespeare’s male-dominated Ophelia in Hamlet committed suicide by drowning. This film is a warning address to all women but directed at Elizabeth Siddall, known for playing Ophelia in the famous Pre-Raphaelite painting by John Everett Millais. Life imitated art, since Elizabeth caught pneumonia whilst posing in a cold bath for the picture, and was also dominated by her unfaithful and controlling husband Dante Gabriel Rossetti, causing her to also commit suicide. Parallels can be made to today’s actresses and Harvey Weinstein, Me Too, and suicide from domestic abuse. In the UK alone ‘200 women take their own lives every year, and nearly 30 women attempt to complete suicide every single day due to domestic abuse’. Through a positive re-enactment of the painting, this film aims to bring hope, rewriting Elizabeth’s fate and the fate of all women facing such distressing thoughts. Here is the English version vimeo.com/703270378 and I am also linking to the Spanish version vimeo.com/703306907 Villanelle para Elizabeth, no para Ofelia La Ofelia dominada por hombres en el Hamlet de Shakespeare se suicidó ahogándose. Esta película es una advertencia para todas las mujeres, pero dirigida a Elizabeth Siddall, conocida por interpretar a Ofelia en la famosa pintura prerrafaelita de John Everett Millais. La vida imitaba al arte, ya que Elizabeth contrajo una neumonía mientras posaba en un baño frío para la pintura, y también fue dominada por su infiel y controlador esposo Dante Gabriel Rossetti, lo que provocó que ella también se acabara suicidando. Se pueden hacer paralelismos con las actrices de hoy y Harvey Weinstein, el movimiento Me Too y el suicidio por violencia de género. Solo en el Reino Unido, ‘200 mujeres se quitan la vida cada año, y casi 30 mujeres intentan suicidarse todos los días debido a la violencia de género. A través de una recreación positiva de la pintura, esta película tiene como objetivo aportar esperanza, reescribiendo el destino de Elizabeth y el destino de todas las mujeres que enfrentan pensamientos tan angustiosos.
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A great article on The Poetics of Poetry Film by leading experimental Italian poet Enzo Minarelli in longstanding, contemporary art magazine – JULIET. I received a copy of the magazine the other day and it looks beautifully printed in the flesh, with some really interesting observations by Enzo.
The article is in Italian, so for those of you who are able to read it in the original language, it is available in print and the original images and text (slightly out of alignment and with a rough translation in English) at liberatedwords.com/2022/03/12/wonderful-review-of-the-poetics-of-poetry-film-in-juliet-art-magazine-by-enzo-minarelli/ REELpoetry. The Best One Yet! 25–27 Feb. A blossoming of curations from around the world, competition entries, Deaf and Hard of Hearing curations and open mic etc. Thanks Fran for the judging opportunity, for Ian Gibbins selecting Selfie with Marilyn for his distURBANce curation and for the chance to discuss the great LA project Love Letters in Light. More on https://liberatedwords.com/2022/02/23/reelpoetry-2022-25-27-february-better-than-ever-before/ VIDEOBARDO in Buenos Aires (see previous post) celebrated its 25th anniversary recently. It was live from the 25–28 November. and has been online since the 29 November at VideoBardo Videopoesia on You Tube. The link to my interview with festival director Javier Robledo can be found here YouTube channel and you can also see the very interesting documentary by poet and video poet Charles Olsen on selected Spanish and Portuguese video poets who were featured in the book. To date both these videos have had a fantastic number of hits, as have the other videos, so thank you everyone! And thank you VideoBardo for all your work leading experimentation in video poetry. See also www.videobardo.com
VIDEOBARDO in Buenos Aires is celebrating its 25th anniversary! It is live from the 25–28 November CENTRO CULTURAL SAN MARTÍN – SALA 1 (Sarmiento y Paraná ) 5–11 pm, and online from the 29 December at the YouTube channel where you can also see the very interesting documentary by poet and video poet Charles Olsen on selected Spanish and Portuguese video poets who were feature in the book. See also www.videobardo.com
There are numerous screenings and invited curations to see, and I wish I could have been there myself. I went in 2012 and gave a talk, so I know how special the festival can be. If you take a look at their website you can travel back to the beginning of this century! and see the extraordinary work they have been across all forms of poetry. They are truly an innovative festival. SO excited to be part of it, in the online screening, with an interview with festival director Javier Robledo. He asks some challenging and exciting questions, and there are numerous artists featured, so take a look. There is also an insightful video presentation by Charles Olsen with a selection of the Spanish and Portuguese video poets who were featured in his chapter in the book. Our presentations follow each other together so take a look. They are available at the festival online site until December 3rd. Spanning 25 years this festival is truly a legendary event, with a multitude of different approaches to poetry and fim/video. THIS IS AN EVENT TO REMEMBER. There will be programs of Videopoetry, Poetic Video Perfomance, Poetic Animation, Poetic Sound, VideoDance, Video Art and Poetic Medium-length Films that bring together137 videos by artists from around the world. In addition, there will be a video interview with Javier Robledo on the book The Poetics of Poetry Film with Sarah Tremlett, director of the Liberated Words Festival in the United Kingdom, and a separate presentation by Charles Olsen with Spanish and Portuguese videopoets who were featured in his chapter in the book. Instants Video Video Art Festival of France, Magmart Video Art Festival of Italy, Waley Gallery Art Galey from Taiwan, ÁREA Association of Audiovisual Experimental Filmmakers, the presentation of the Decolonial Constellations Series in Art-Action # 2 of the space Peras de Olmo –Ars Continua, and as a guest Tom Konyves, a reference in Videopoetry, from Canada will present Hopscotch, the analysis of a videopoem. |
Sarah TremlettWriter, Poetry Filmmaker and co-founder of Liberated Words Poetry Film Festival and events. Categories |