Private Project

word: collected poetry

A collection of spoken word poems brought to life, adapted from the work of four poets living in New York City.

  • Pat Heywood
    Director
  • Jamil McGinnis
    Director
  • Esther Aloba
    Writer
  • Trace DePass
    Writer
  • Nkosi Nkululeko
    Writer
  • Makayla Posley
    Writer
  • Pat Heywood
    Writer
  • Jamil McGinnis
    Writer
  • Claire McGirr
    Producer
  • Esther Aloba
    Key Cast
  • Trace DePass
    Key Cast
  • Nkosi Nkululeko
    Key Cast
  • Makayla Posley
    Key Cast
  • Frances Chen
    Director of Photography
  • Chris Mitchell
    Editor
  • Adam Falkner
    Casting
  • Shannon Matesky
    Casting
  • Safiya Martinez Connell
    Casting
  • Jessica Miller
    Assistant Directors
  • Tiffanie Young
    Assistant Directors
  • Armaan Virani
    First Assistant Camera
  • Patrick Morgan
    Steadicam Operators
  • Denny Kortze
    Steadicam Operators
  • Chandler Tucker
    DIT
  • Manny Munoz
    DIT
  • Adrian Anaya
    Grip & Electric
  • Kearah Armonie
    Production Assistants
  • Will Chambers
    Production Assistants
  • Jacob Pirogovsky
    Production Assistants
  • Darcie Reisler
    Production Assistants
  • Jay Robinson
    Production Assistants
  • Tiffanie Young
    Storyboards
  • Tiana Mesta
    Assistant Editors
  • Anne-Laure D'hooge
    Assistant Editors
  • Lisa Barnable
    Editorial Producer
  • Eve Kornblum
    Editorial Producer
  • Adrian Seery
    Colorist
  • Jenna Gabriel
    Post Producer
  • Dani Zeitlin
    Post Producer
  • Sloan Alexander
    Composers
  • Trace DePass
    Composers
  • Jon Hubbell
    Composers
  • Rob Suchecki
    Composers
  • James Dean Wells
    Music Executive Producer
  • Jesse Peterson
    Sound Mixer
  • Max Friedman
    Title Design
  • Catherine Fischer
    VFX Producer
  • John Shafto
    VFX Supervisor
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    drama, poetry, teen, black, african american, lgbtq, art
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 36 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 31, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35, 4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • New York African Film Festival
    New York, NY
    United States
    May 22, 2018
    New York Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Pat Heywood, Jamil McGinnis

Jamil McGinnis and Pat Heywood are a filmmaking team based in Brooklyn, New York.

Pat (26) grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts as a self-professed cinephile. In 2013, he graduated from Emerson College with a degree concentrating in Film and Television. During his time there, he was nominated to partake in the prestigious Writers Guild of America East Mentorship Program. Immediately after graduating, he began working as an assistant, then a coordinator at the production company SMUGGLER. During his four years at the company, he worked on projects for a roster of world-class directors, such as Barry Jenkins, Kathryn Bigelow, Tom Hooper, Bennett Miller, Todd Field, Henry-Alex Rubin, Susanne Bier, and Chris Smith, amongst others.

Jamil (24) is a Turkish and African American director from Kaiserslautern, Germany. Jamil’s interest in film began at a young age with an extensive background in photography. Upon graduating business school from Florida A&M University and a couple Wall Street stockbroking gigs under his belt, Jamil jumped into the film industry and hasn’t looked back. He worked for two years as a producer at the advertising agency Droga5.

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Director Statement

We wanted the film to feel as if someone had wandered into a bookstore and began reading through a book of poems.

Adapting poetry to film was a lot closer to putting together a thematic puzzle than it is building any kind of narrative. All sorts of space for us as filmmakers opened up to explore their language. Juxtaposing images, observing, asking questions rather than giving answers. We wanted a film that was challenging and abstract, but at the same time, presented moments of meditation.

We wanted to dive into the same themes and ideas that their poetry does, so collaborating closely with the poets and having their creative perspectives was vital. We didn’t want to assume anything about their experiences, but rather create a visual space to explore them further.