POETRY FILM PROGRAM

COSSOUL – R. Nova da Piedade, 66

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12

20.30 – Doors open, meet & greet

21.00  – Opening ceremony, welcome word from Cossoul, Jury and JA Theatre

21.10 – 22.40 – “Separation & Belonging” In-competition (with an interval):

WHEN IT FEELS HOT, THAT RAGE AGAINST ME (UK), CHANGER DE PEU/CHANGING SKIN (Belgium), THE GREEN MAN (Ireland), LLANTO CONGELADO/FROZEN CRY (Spain), 90 SECONDS ABOUT THE 90s (France), AUTONOMY: THE JOURNEY OF BECOMING (United Arab Emirates), HOW TO OUTLINE GRIEF (USA), IMMIGRANTS OPEN SHOPS (Ireland), LOST UPON ARRIVAL (New Zealand), CHASING BIRDS (Greece-USA), IRWENDWAS IST IMMER/THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING (Germany), ONE STEP AWAY (USA), M.E. (Germany), THE CITY IS IN MY CHEST (Jordan), LE COSE CHE HAI SCORDATO/THINGS YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN TO TAKE WITH YOU (Italy), MEMORY (Netherlands), MAQUINA DO TEMPO (Portugal), PETRYKIVKA (USA), INTERIOR GROUP PORTRAIT OF PENROSE FAMILY (Ireland), THERE IS SCRATCH ON THE INSIDE ON MY RIGHT KNEE (New Zealand), PLAYGROUND (USA), TO MY NEXT LOVER (New Zealand).

22.50 – 23.00 – Special out of-competition: “Nowhere to go but on” by Janet Lees

23.00 – 23.30 – Q&As, reflections, sharing thoughts & feelings

THURSDAY, APRIL 13

09.30 – 11.30 AN INTRODUCTION TO POETRY FILM. WORKSHOP WITH JANET LEES: IMAGES.WORDS.SOUND

SATURDAY, APRIL 15

21.00 – Doors open, meet & greet

21.30 – Welcome word by the Jury

21.35-22.40 –  “Separation and Belonging” – joint Casa Pessoa and Cossoul program

22.40 – 22.55 –  Prizegiving ceremony with live streaming

22.55 – 23.05 –  Closing film – winner in “Disquiet! said Pessoa” category

23.05 – 23.30 –  Open Mic: Poetry & Music

CASA FERNANDO PESSOA – R. Coelho da Rocha, 18

THURSDAY, APRIL 13

18.30 – 19.15 – Prelude in the open air: Informal readings of Pessoa poetry with poet Chiara Crisafulli

19.30 –  Opening ceremony: Welcome word from Cossoul, Jury, JA Theatre. Pessoa poetry.

19.45 – 20.50 –  “Disquiet! Said Pessoa” and “Separation & Belonging” In-competition:

CONSTROI UMA CASINHA/BUILD ME A COTTAGE (Netherlands), PERSONAFICATION (Portugal), NADA É MAIOR QUE A VERDADE/NOTHING IS BIGGER THAN THE TRUTH (Portugal 2021), LONG DEPARTURE (France), CUSP (UK), I WANT TO LOVE YOU IN ANALOGUE (New Zealand), ALCATRAZ (Germany), RETRATO DE UM NOMADA/A NOMAD’S PORTRAIT (Portugal), LOST SOULS (Ireland), SOMEONE SHOULD TELL THEM/ IL FAUDRAIT LEUR DIRE (Belgium), premiere of UN/WRITE (Canada/US, 2023), O MARINHEIRO/THE SEAFARER (Portugal-Canada)

21.00 – 21.30 –  Special out-of-competition screening of “Blame the Fox” by Janet Lees followed by an Art talk with Janet Lees, award winning British poet, filmmaker and Jury president.

Sharing, reflections, discussions

CALL FOR WORK:

JÁ POETRY FILM COMPETITION 2023

Lisbon, 11-16 April 2023

Venue: CASA FERNANDO PESSOA: Rua Coelho da Rocha, 16-18 Campo de Ourique, 1250-088 Lisboa, Portugal

This international Poetry Film happening at Casa Fernando Pessoa is part of JÁ FEST, organized 11 – 16 April 2023 by Já International Theatre.

It is open to emerging and experienced artists, first-time videographers, filmmakers and poets. JÁFEST is supported by the Europa Criativa Program so we welcome POETRY FILM submissions from emerging European artists.

What is Poetry Film? See our interview with Janet Lees…

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The festival offers a platform for sharing visual narratives through two In-Competition sections:

THEME 1: SEPARATION & BELONGING

In our turbulent world Separation and Belonging raises the question of where and to whom we belong. To ourselves, perhaps? To nature, to memories, to family, to love, to dreams fulfilled and unfulfilled? Until we parted we did not know we could feel so strongly, we did not know that our good memories could shrivel and vanish, that we may no longer find comfort in them. Through separation we learn a lot about ourselves and our world, don’t we?

Jury President Janet Lees: “Separation and Belonging is a nuanced theme which gives poets and filmmakers a myriad of ways to respond. Separation can remind us of and bring us back to what’s truly important. As for belonging, who, what and where do we belong to – and what, if anything, truly belongs to us? Is belonging always a positive thing, or can it be something that precipitates separation, as in belonging in the sense of ownership? I love this theme because it’s so broad, and gives people freedom within a framework. There is the focus, the ‘container’, of having a specific theme, and there is the freedom of having almost limitless ways to respond to it.”

Inspirations and poems can come from any time period, or it can be your own vers libre.

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THEME 2: DISQUIET! said PESSOA, or DESASSOSSEGO COM FERNANDO PESSOA

We invite filmmakers inspired by Pessoa’s work to submit a poetry film base on one of his poems or quotations to the Disquiet! said Pessoa, or Desassossego com Fernando Pessoa section in the competition.

“Quem tem alma não tem calma” [F. Pessoa] (“A person with soul cannot attain calm”) 

Dizer! Saber dizer!, exclama Pessoa; e a importância de saber existir pela voz escrita acrescenta o valor de saber existir pela imagem intelectual.” (…) O Livro do Desassossego é um dos retratos mais espantosos da cidade de Lisboa, uma acumulação sucessiva de palavras e imagens que se entrelaçam e complementam na representação visual do leitor.” Jerónimo Pizarro (introdução), in Fernando Pessoa, Livro do Desassossego, Lisboa, Tinta da China, 2014.

JÁFEST is supported by the Europa Criativa Program so we welcome POETRY FILM submissions from emerging European artists.

11-16 APRIL 2023

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CASA FERNANDO PESSOA

HOW TO SUBMIT

Submit your films via FilmFreeway using the button on the right. Make sure you specify which section you are submitting your film to:

  • Section “Separation & Belonging
  • Section “Disquiet! said Pessoa, or Dessassossego com Fernando Pessoa

DATES TO REMEMBER

Opening Date: 12 December 2022
Final Deadline: 12 March 2023 (deadline for Pessoa section only extended to 1 April 2023)
Notification Date: 26 March 2023
Event Date: 11–16 April 2023

REGULATIONS

HOW TO SUBMIT

  • There are 2 sections:
    • SEPARATION & BELONGING
    • DISQUIET! said PESSOA, or DESASSOSSEGO COM FERNANDO PESSOA
  • We invite submissions from all over the world. Inspirations for poetry film may be drawn from any period!
  • Entries may be no longer than seven minutes with opening or closing credits included.
  • Entries may be brand-new or pre-existing work, or a repurposed combination of these two.
  • Entries can be in any language but must be subtitled in English, with voiceover or text on-screen. In the case of Fernando Pessoa’s work filmmakers may wish to use translations by Richard Zenith.
  • Entries from emerging artists and first-time poetry filmmakers who wish to premiere their poetry films offline to an international audience are very welcome!
  • The poetry can be your own, or a collaboration with a poet, or used by permission of the poet or poets’ estate, or that is no longer subject to copyright.
  • Collaborations can also include other artists (dancers, musicians, illustrators, cartoonists, painters etc.) and art forms.
  • All submissions must include opening or closing credits on the screen.

ENTRY FEE

We have tried to recognize the financial burdens many creators are facing and the challenges faced by the global south. Accordingly, entry fees vary depending on what country you come from.

  • For filmmakers based in countries with a GDP (PPP) per capita figure of 20,000 or more, the entry fee is €15 per submission.
  • For filmmakers based in countries with a GDP (PPP) per capita figure of less than 20,000, the entry fee is €10 per submission.

To consult your country’s GDP figure, see IMF figures from Wikipedia page

SCREENINGS

Poetry films selected for the competition will be screened to audiences at Casa Fernando Pessoa in Lisbon during JAFEST Week, April 11 – 16, 2023, as part of a curated Program. Furthermore, selected poetry films in the “DISQUIET! said PESSOA” section could become part of a multimedia exhibition in Casa Fernando Pessoa.

PRIZES JÁFEST 2023 will award 5 money prizes, together with diplomas, as follows:
  1. “Separation & Belonging“
    1. Best Film €750
    2. 2nd Prize €400
    3. Special Mention €300
  2. “Disquiet! said Pessoa, or Desassossego com Fernando Pessoa“
    1. Best Film €750
    2. Special Mention €400
Submissions via FilmFreeway no later than March 12, 2023 for Separation & Belonging section but extended to April 1, 2023 for the Pessoa section

RULES

  • Each filmmaking team can submit up to three entries.
  • Each entry must be submitted separately. Please add a short intro (30-50 words max).
  • Entries received will be processed by a 3-person JÁFEST 2023 selection committee.
  • Entries will be judged by a 3-person jury consisting of filmmakers and arts representatives. The president of the jury will be British poet and filmmaker Janet Lees, who will also run a workshop on Poetry Film.
  • The winners will be announced during the award ceremony on April 15, 2023.
  • Artists whose films are selected for the In-competition section will be notified and contacted individually. Winners in each category may be asked to join an award ceremony and an online Q&A session. We hope to see as many filmmakers as possible in Lisbon during the week April 11-16.

JÁFEST is supported by the Europa Criativa Program so we welcome POETRY FILM submissions from emerging European artists.

SELECTION COMMITTEE

Suresh NAMPURI is a writer and director… and a physicist fascinated by string theory. He has conceived, written, produced and directed a range of theatrical interventions including political theatre of the Arab spring, modern adaptations of Greek tragedies and other classics, movies in Paris, Lisbon and Iceland, online theatre, originals for international theatre festivals, and a radio play.For the last three months, he has been striding indefatigably across Lisbon, talking to all the people and the venues that will allow JáFest to take shape.

Suresh Nampuri
JÁ founder

Tania KUMEDA is an artist, stage director, event manager and avid movie-goer from Ukraine who draws her inspiration from words, images and memories. She completed a Master’s degree in Foreign Languages & Literature in Kyiv, her native city, where she has remained since Feb 24, 2022. For three years, Tania was a leading actress at the Kyiv Theatre of Comedy. In 2017, she directed JÁ’s inaugural show “RED” in Lisbon. She has been working behind the scenes for months on JáFest but is not certain she will be able to be present at the Festival.

Tania Kumeda
JÁ founder

One of Já’s four founders, Dan COTTERALL studied literature in New Zealand (BA 1st class Hons) and at Oxford (M.Phil) before spending two decades as a management consultant, living in the UK, Tunisia, France, China and Portugal. In JÁ’s inaugural production in Lisbon in 2017, he played the role of Smirnov in The Bear and Simone in Wilde’s A Florentine Tragedy, directed by Tania Kumeda. An associate professor at Shanghai International Studies University, Dan cannot be present in Lisbon for the Festival but is supporting it to the hilt from afar.

Daniel Cotterall
JÁ founder

JURY for "SEPARATION & BELONGING" and "DISQUIET! said PESSOA, or DESASSOSSEGO COM FERNANDO PESSOA"

Paulo TAVARES is a Portuguese poet, editor and translator. He is the cofounder of Artefacto Edições and Reverso – Encontro de Autores, Artistas e Editores Independentes. A former teacher and director of Sociedade de Instrução Guilherme Cossoul, he is currently completing a PhD in Literary Studies. He has published several poetry books; his latest collection, Órbitas, is due in 2023. His work as a literary translator runs from Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift to Ray Bradbury and Viet Thanh Nguyen. He also translates works in fields such as economics (Joseph Stiglitz) and sustainability (Jeremy Rifkin, David Wengrow).

Paulo Tavares
Poet, editor, translator

Janet LEES is a poet and lens-based artist. Her experimental and poetry films have been selected for many festivals and screenings, including the ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival, the Aesthetica Art Prize and Festival Fotogenia. In 2021 she won the Ó Bhéal Poetry-Film competition. Her art photography has been exhibited around the world and her poetry is widely published and anthologised. She has had two books published: 'House of water', a collection of her poems and art photographs, and 'A bag of sky', the winning collection in the Frosted Fire Firsts prize hosted by the UK's Cheltenham Poetry Festival.

Janet Lees
British filmmaker

Pedro CALDEIRA is from the small town of Tomar in Portugal. He graduated in Computer Science from the University of Lisbon and went on to found Tripé – with Paulo Graça – in order to explore the production of films, web-series and video art. Tripé’s work has been selected for festivals such as the Napoli Film Festival, Filmapalloza Atlanta, Filmapalloza Paris, FIKE, Ymotion and Shortcutz, winning awards in competitions such as the 48 Hour Film Project in Castelo Branco and Lisbon. Pedro is a member of the jury of PLANOS – Tomar’s International Short Film Festival.

Pedro Caldeira
Film producer