Cinema & Poetry

The cinema, shortly after its inception at the end of the 19th century, piqued the curiosity of poets and fueled their imagination. For instance, the poet Else Lasker-Schüler penned one of the most beautiful poems about the magic of going to the movies with “Come with me to the Cinema…”

The film series by the Filmkollektiv Frankfurt e.V. explores the interaction between cinema and poetry in the 21st century. Curating the program is the poet, author, and journalist Ronya Othmann (born in 1993). Othmann made her debut in 2021 with the poetry collection “die verbrechen” (Hanser Verlag). She has invited other significant poets of her generation to select films that have influenced their poetry.

In addition to Othmann, Yevgeniy Breyger, Juliane Liebert, Alexandru Bulucz, and Volha Hapeyeva each introduce a film and either read their poetry before or after and discuss their interest in cinema. Furthermore, Katia Sophia Ditzler presents her VR films, which visualize her own poetry. The poet Jan Volker Röhnert, co-editor of the anthology “Die endlose Ausdehnung von Zelluloid. 100 Jahre Film und Kino im Gedicht” (2007, Voland & Quist), gives a short lecture on the influence of cinema on German poetry before “LEAVING LAS VEGAS”.

Further screenings take place at the Mal Seh’n Kino. Alongside the film program, a publication edited by the Filmkollektiv Frankfurt will be released.

In collaboration with: