A success! More photos soon.
Founding Director Lynn M. Holley Welcomes all to Poetry Film Festival Film at Beyond Baroque.
Thank you, Jimmy Vega—and thank you all for coming together, in person. I also want to thank Ivan Salinas for his leadership in making this event happen here. And a note—Beyond Baroque is a special place. Consider becoming a member, to enjoy its offerings and support its mission of exploring the possibilities of language.
Creating a poem-based film is still a relatively new art form—though one could trace it back to 1905, to the first poem-based silent film The Night Before Christmas.
What you have all accomplished here is part of that evolving tradition – bringing poetry to the screen with imagination, courage and sometimes with only “make do.”
I read, write, watch films and TV, and I take note when poems appear in unexpected places—because there is always something to learn from the unexpected.
Recently, actor Edward Norton recited part of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry by Walt Whitman, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. It was written in the 1850s. Norton offered it as an antidote to what he called “doomscrolling”— something we all fall prey to on our phones. Before the reading, both he and Colbert bemoaned that Whitman is no longer taught in schools as he once was.
I encourage you to read the poem.
Norton's reciting made Whitman feel immediate—alive in our present moment. By watching from the river Whitman explores the spiritual unity of humanity across time and space through his daily commute to Manhattan. Whitman notices that the coming and going of the workmen, boats and people in transit by the flow of the river that they are a shared humanity that transcends the past, present and future. It could have been written today. And That quality is the mark of a great poem—classical or modern, rhymed or free verse. The poem lasts in perpetuity.
We all stand on someone’s shoulders, in whatever art discipline. Whitman had his heroes- Poe, Thoreau, Emerson…
Sit not only with your mentors, but with artists and thinkers across time—from the Epic of Gilgamesh written around 1200 BC, to William Shakespeare in the 1600s (He still lives), Beowulf, and forward to Sylvia Plath or Emily Dickerson, and voices among us now, like Amanda Gorman, whose words may carry well into the future.
And, you may also be a part of that one day— Who knows?
Your best chance is to not look in the mirror but out of the window.
Read widely. Watch wisely. Do not limit your exposure to one art discipline, team up with someone in another discipline. I am always about collaboration.
Find your roots but spread your wings while creating.
You might even follow Stephen Colbert who reads by memory and off the cuff the poetry by J. R. R. Tolkien—whose poetry I recently found and it is fascinating and unexpected.
Carry on and enjoy the day.
Winners and finalists announced in a few weeks.
2026 Screening Schedule April 25th
2026 Poetry Film Festival Screening Schedule
Animation 11:30 - 12:15 PM
- I Never Thought of Phoenixes — 2:00
- Limbed — 1:33
- Naked in the Desert with a Gun — 4:59
- Breath — 10:00
- 09.01.berkovich — 6:00
- Saddleback Street — 1:30
- "1837: Cold Magic" — 1:39
- The Haunted Saxophone — 6:42
- Time — 04:06
- Arose — 0:39:00
Total Running Time: 39:08
Documentary 12:15 - 1:00 PM
- HOLDING COURT: Sapphic Voices — 6:26
- The Climate Change Volumes: Fall — 4:53
- “Teslam Idek”- Bless Your Hand — 12:00
- WELCOME TO TENDERLOIN — 4:21
- Elise Paschen: In Her Own Words [Short] — 10:00
Total Running Time: 37:40
15 Min Break - 1:00 - 1:15 PM
Experimental Pt. 1 - 1:15 - 2:45 PM
- The Harbour — 2:39
- What If You Fly? — 12:12
- withal our bodies we are — 7:42
- Snakebite Psalm — 6:01
- Esta Noche — 1:06
- A Necessary Silence (Four Acts) — 6:59
- You Are Beside Yourself — 4:46
- a loved one goes by me — 8:10
- INDIGESTION — 0:44
- GASTROMANCY — 5:41
- DEADEYE — 7:10
- Philophobia — 1:50
- My Mother Ceridwen — 1:52
- Juggling between wake and sleep — 9:42
- re- — 4:23:00
- Crossing Paths — 4:37:00
Total Running Time: 85:34
15 Min Break - 2:45 - 3:00 PM
Experimental Pt. 2 - 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
- Infertility in Planck Time — 4:16
- After the Dome Fire — 2:31
- A Warrior's Farewell — 2:53
- After the Funeral — 1:39
- TRAMAS — 5:25
- Blood Hounds — 3:10
- Melanie — 4:00
- crash course on numbers — 4:24
- Back Door Man — 9:28
- hægtesse — 7:19
- KNOWING — 6:46
- Senses — 4:36
- Duties of My Heart — 10:00
- Ex Libris — 1:11
- Under Chestnut Trees — 1:13
- The Simultaneity of Breathing — 4:14
- Seasons — 9:19
Total Running Time: 82:24
15 Min Break - 4:30 - 4:45 PM
Narrative - 4:45 PM - 6:15 PM
- All That She — 5:56
- Cynical Trains — 2:24
- my father's breath: (i see you) — 5:19
- Long Line — 1:41
- I Met a Stoic — 1:43
- We Send Our Signal — 2:12
- Late on the Planet — 5:00
- Letter — 7:00
- Comma of Didymus — 8:56
- Walking The Dog — 2: 52
- Arise — 3:59
- FROM SAFFRON MOORS — 2:11
- The Burnout — 5:46
- Fags — 2:37
- Hair Trails — 7:41
- Reach — 6:15
Total Running Time: 71:32
Join us for an unforgettable time of celebration of the artistry of poetry and filmmaking -- with all its glamour, food, drinks and entertainment. Enjoy a day and evening mingling in celebration of our 5th Season of the International Poetry Film Festival at Beyond Baroque.
Two Days of Activities and Celebration
OPENING NIGHT
Friday, April 24 | 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
An opening evening dedicated to launching the festival: highlights from past seasons, official trailers from the 5th Season, with introductions and opportunities to connect with poets, filmmakers and guests.
OFFICIAL SELECTION SCREENINGS:
Saturday, April 25 | 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
TICKETS
- General Admission (one day): $20
- Two-day pass: $30
- Discounted pricing available for Beyond Baroque members
- Two free tickets for each film, with a director, poet/writer or crew member in attendance. Advanced noticed required. Their guests must pay for admission. However, we can reserve seats.
Seating is limited.
Purchase tickets at: http://www.beyondbaroque.org/poetryfilmfest26.html
5th Season opens April 24 - Official Screening the 25th
Our Mission
At Poetry Film Festival, we are dedicated to showcasing the best films from around the world. We celebrate poetry and diversity while inspiring audiences to explore new perspectives through visual storytelling -- film and video.
2025
Founded at Beyond Baroque in 2022, Poetry Film Festival was born out of a passion for poets and independent filmmakers to merge their art and ideas to create a unique platform for arts collaboration. It's a unique path to storytelling. Over the seasons we have grown into a respected and exciting international festival, attracting poets, filmmakers from around the world.
Lynn M. Holley, Founding Director, Quentin Ring, Former Executive Director, Beyond Baroque. Jimmy Vega Appointed Interim Executive Director - 2026
Season 5 -- 2026 April 24 & 25 2026 is set to be the best ever!.
A few dedicated staff and volunteers -- producers, directors, and poets.
Season 5 is set to be the best ever!.
Captivating Moments: A Poetry Film Festival Gallery.
Captivating More Moments
More Captivating Moments
More Through the Lens
Support those who volunteer to work on this special film festival. They give their time, and energy to make sure poets and filmmakers reach a wide-audience. Thank you for considering a donation.
Your contribution enables us to produce regular outreach to poets and filmmakers seeking to create that rare breed of film, a poem-based one that merges two creative disciplines into a visual treat of language and meaning.
