The "ZEBRAs" for international poetry films will be awarded again this year, the fourth year the competition has taken place. A shortlist of 30 poetry films has been drawn up from 900 entries from 53 countries. The programme commission has selected 150 films to be shown alongside the competition films from 9 to 12 October 2008 in Berlin’s Babylon cinema. There is no other comparable presentation of poetry films. The ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival has given poetry its own international film festival, the festival itself becoming the most important forum for an independent art form fusing poetry, film and new media.
The “ZEBRAs” for international poetry films will be awarded again this year, the fourth year the competition has taken place. A shortlist of 30 poetry films has been drawn up from 900 entries from 53 countries. The programme commission has selected 150 films to be shown alongside the competition films from 9 to 12 October 2008 in Berlin’s Babylon cinema. There is no other comparable presentation of poetry films. The ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival has given poetry its own international film festival, the festival itself becoming the most important forum for an independent art form fusing poetry, film and new media.
Cinematic surprises of the best kind are provided by the focus-countries of this year’s festival, namely the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain and the Spanish-speaking world, all of which have produced artistically exciting film scenes. Naturally, poetry films from German-speaking countries have their own dedicated evening while “Made in Berlin films” will take up a whole section of the programme. The festival programme will again include films for children aged from 8 to 12 years. There are three main prizes of €10,000 to be won, listeners to radioeins will honour their favourite film and Berlin schoolchildren will be selecting the best poetry film for children, donated by Cine Impuls.
In addition, this year’s ZEBRAs will be playing host to guests from the USA and Italy. I would like to draw your attention to the workshop focusing on the use of poetry films in cultural education.
The ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival forms part of the poesiefestival berlin and is being staged in partnership with interfilm berlin and with the kind support of the Goethe-Institute.
We would like to thank the Capital Cultural Fund, all embassies, foreign cultural institutions and sponsors of the festival. Our thanks go also to Thomas Zandegiacomo Del Bel and his team who have done a superlative job in organising the ZEBRAs, and also to the Babylon.
Come, see, be amazed! Poetry goes film, to the delight of the ears and eyes.
Thomas Wohlfahrt
Director of the Literaturwerkstatt Berlin
Festival Director