~ Nationality: United States ~

Nirvana by Charles Bukowski

A very popular poem — there are three videos for it on Vimeo alone — probably because it captures in simple language an experience most of us have felt, and also because there’s a great recording of Tom Waits reading it (which is the narration used here). It also has that wistful, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” kind of vibe, even though the holidays aren’t mentioned. And for me this poetry film epitomizes the appeal of down-home, local diners. (I worked as a short-order cook in a diner for a few years when I was young.)

The director, Patrick Biesemans, says about himself:

I currently work as head of production for a cool little company in Manhattan, and when the opportunity arises I am a freelance director of commercials, fashion films, and music videos.

The film was supported by a successful Kickstarter campaign and shot on a $4000 budget. The campaign description shows Biesemans’ thinking about the project:

We would love the opportunity to pay tribute to Waits and Bukowski by creating a short film inspired by, and complimentary to, this great poem. This video project would be visual poetry, focusing on the atmospheric qualities that Waits’ presents with his voice, and Bukowski with his words. A story revolving around the quiet moments that spark and inspire great writing. […]

Our approach would be to shoot this live action and on location, with a playful mix of practical effects and miniature elements (mainly using model railroad train elements); A surreal yet welcoming artistic representation of the world. I want the influences of the 1950’s and 60’s to shape the art direction, costuming, and mood of this project.

We have no plans to submit this to film festivals or get praise for completing such a great project. We’re doing this as a “love letter” to travelers, writers, singers, campfire storytellers, and poets.

Lastu Adri (I do not know) by Elia Abu Madi

Directed by Egyptian film student and photographer Forat Sami, with acting and narration by Yousef Bakir and sound production by Mohamed Elshazly. For background on the Lebanese-American poet Elia Abu Madi, the Wikipedia has a bare-bones bio.

His poems are very well known among Arabs; journalist Gregory Orfalea wrote that “his poetry is as commonplace and memorized in the Arab world as that of Robert Frost is in ours.”

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in… by e.e. cummings

Director/producer and editor Jacqueline Donahue was assisted by director of photography Nathan Ng and actors Naomi Khanukayev and Sami Lodi. I like the fact that the father in the poem, from whose perspective the film was shot, is never shown, and the relationship between the daughter and a boyfriend adds an interesting dimension to the text (which may be read at the Poetry Foundation website).

For a very different videopoetic interpretation, see Experimental Film: Heart by Coenraad Viviers.

Ardenter by David Tomaloff

Another fun videopoem collaboration from David Tomaloff (voice and “poem written especially for this project”) and Swoon (concept, editing and music).

Footage: ‘How to make perfect hard boiled eggs’ (Food wishes video recipes – Chef John) provided by allrecipes.com
‘undercover investigation at Hy-line hatchery’ (mercyforanimals.org)

This is part of an international project among 14 different artists, “Seven Sins / Seven Virtues,” as Swoon explains in a blog post. He used C.S. Lewis’ definition of gluttony in The Screwtape Letters as a guide.

We might complain about unimportant defects in a product, the temperature in the room, or the color of a laundry basket. There is a certain amount of discomfort to be expected in life, but the Glutton will have none of it. Instead of becoming strong by suffering the minor inconveniences of life, the Glutton insists on being pampered. No one dares to point out how petty or foolish they are. In fact, some celebrities are praised for their excessive perfectionism, as though it were a virtue.

Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 1986 by William S. Burroughs

According to Open Culture,

“Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 1986” first appeared in print in Tornado Alley, a chapbook published by William S. Burroughs in 1989. Two years later, Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, My Own Private Idaho, Milk) shot a montage that brought the poem to film, making it at least the second time the director adapted the beat writer to film.

The Man Who Couldn’t Tweet by Adrian Smith

http://vimeo.com/19643419

Adrian Smith directs with camera help from Daniel Liss.

After many years a man hears from an old lover in an unexpected way. Old school, 16mm black and white given a modern twist and an original soundtrack by Trashcan Petunia.

Lulu Gay by Wallace Stevens

Othniel Smith used a reading by Alan Davis Drake for Librivox and public-domain images from the Prelinger Archive to make this short film.

It turns out by Martha McCollough

In the description on Vimeo, Martha McCollough says about her latest film:

Business continuity rooms are where some people will go to work while the rest of us are outside mutating.

Built in Flash, After Effects, and Logic

Four Paradigms by Alberto Roblest

The description on Vimeo reads:

Four Paradigms for the new millenium. A poem. A homage. A flux.

Alberto Roblest is a “veteran public access television producer” and “author of artwork exhibited at museums, galleries and film and video festivals around the world,” according to the Hola Cultura website.

(once like a spark) by e.e. cummings

This too-brief film is from someone named Bikrant Pakhrin.

The Three Ants by Kahlil Gibran

http://vimeo.com/52815065

Gabriel Sumon directs, with cinematography by Mahdy Hasan. Filmed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in Bengali with English titling.

Haciendo Apenas la Recolección by Tino Villanueva

Another collaboration between Chicano poet Tino Villanueva and filmmaker Alberto Roblest makes visual poetry of Villanuava’s childhood, which was spent following the crops with his migrant farmworker family in Texas.