A Festival Of Poetry And Film

Over 30 poetry films from around the world will be screened over two days at the second edition of the Aotearoa Poetry Film Festival (APFF) in Wellington from 20-21 November.

“There’s increasing interest in poetry film,” says Associate Professor Alfio Leotta from Victoria University of Wellington’s film programme, and founder and co-director of the APFF. “The reason why there’s so many festivals popping up is that poetry film is an accessible medium, particularly to younger people and filmmakers with low budgets. These films can be short, built around a poem, which is not a linear narrative—it’s about images and moods and atmospheres.

“You have all these different kinds of people who make poetry film, from professional filmmakers to people from developing countries or minority backgrounds. That’s another point of uniqueness of the festival—we have this incredibly wide range of submissions.”

The inaugural event in 2023 was welcomed to the international poetry film festival circuit with sold out sessions at Light House Cinema, and this year the organisers have received a large number of film submissions from international, local, and student filmmakers.

“Last year was a major success,” says Dr Leotta. “It really went beyond our expectations. In terms of trends, what surprised us the most this year was the wide range of aesthetic approaches to poetry film.”

Tyler Tesolin, APFF co-director and PhD student in film studies, says, “There’s a scene coming out of this, a community that was established. We’re seeing the results of that this year with more people being aware of the festival and aware they can submit their films.

“It’s part of a larger movement and impact. If we’re going to be a city of film in Wellington, we have to diversify.”

The festival opens with a drinks and a screening of 12 films on Wednesday 20 November at 5.30 pm. The second screening of 12 films is on Thursday 21 November at 5.30 pm, followed by another screening of 13 films at 6.30pm which will also include the award ceremony. All the screenings are at Light House Cuba, and you can book tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aotearoa-poetry-film-festival-2024-tickets-1049782356287

At 2 pm on Thursday 21 November there is a public talk with award-winning filmmaker and head of jury Noval Paul at the University’s Te Aro Campus (LT01). The talk will be followed by light refreshments.

The festival competition includes three categories—international, New Zealand, and student, and the organisers received over 100 submissions, including from students at the University.

This year’s jury included Nova Paul (Ngāpuhi), filmmaker, writer, and Indigenous rights researcher, Missy Molloy, senior lecturer in film at Victoria University of Wellington, and Associate Professor Dafydd Sills-Jones, from Auckland University of Technology.

The full programme for the festival is available here: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/news/2024/10/a-festival-of-poetry-and-film/apff-2024-programme.pdf

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