Verse meets visuals in motion during a series of cinepoem screenings, ekphrastic responses, and generative workshops celebrating National Poetry Month.

Northwest Film Forum is soliciting video poetry for inclusion in Cadence Video Poetry Festival, with selected submissions screening in April 2020.

Video poetry is language as light. As an art form, video poetry is lucid and liminal—on the threshold of the literary and the moving image. It articulates the poetic image visually, rather than metaphorically—it shifts words from page to screen, from ink to light. A video poem makes meaning that would not exist if text was without image, image without text. It is language-based video work or a video-based poem. Video poetry is a literary genre presented as visual media.

We are looking for works no longer than 5 minutes long that fit within the following categories of video poetry. Works that exceed 5 minutes may be submitted in the Wild Card category.

• Adaptations/Ekphrasis: Videos created to bring new meaning and dimension to pre-existing poetry. Any poems used for this purpose must be in the public domain or else used with written consent of the author.

• Collaboration: Video poems created in collaboration between a video artist and writer.

• Video by Poets: Poets creating video from, or as, their writing.

• Poetry by Video Artists: Video artists using text visually or through audio intrinsic to the poetic meaning.

• Wild Card: Video work that’s poetically informed or poetry that’s visually informed that doesn’t neatly fit into one of the other categories and/or exceeds 5 minutes.

*Northwest Film Forum incites public dialogue and creative action through collective cinematic experiences. Cadence Video Poetry Festival is presented by NWFF and programmed in collaboration with Chelsea Werner-Jatzke and Rana San.*

**Still image courtesy of Peter Berkley from "light cycle"**

Awards & Prizes

Video poems will be eligible for an award, winners to be announced at the April screening.

Award categories and jury members TBA!

Rules & Terms

Submission deadline: March 1

1. We welcome submissions in all languages. As the judging will be by English speakers, films in other languages must contain English subtitles.

2. Any film duration exceeding 5 minutes including credits should be submitted in the Wild Card category.

3. All submissions will receive notification no later than April 1, 2020.

4. If selected for screening at the festival, the filmmaker will be required to submit the following:

• Brief film synopsis
• Credits of all involved
• 1-2 high-resolution film stills
• 1920x1080 h.264 film exhibition copy

5. By submitting a film to Cadence Video Poetry Festival, you certify that:

• You are the owner of the film you have submitted or you have full authority to submit the film to the festival.

• This film is not subject to any litigation nor is threatened by any litigation.

• This film is your original work and you agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Northwest Film Forum and its employees, volunteers and board of directors individually and collectively, from and against all claims, complaints, causes of action, liabilities, judgments, losses, costs and expenses including reasonable attorneys fees arising out of or in connection with any and all claims and/or third party claims based on materials you are submitting to the festival.