Videopoetry, also known as video poetry or media poetry, is poetry in video form. It is a wide-ranging category which embraces different types of works and stands on the crossroads of different arts. That’s why Ukrainian videopoetry enthusiasts named their festival CYCLOP. In Greek mythology, a Cyclops is a one-eyed giant. In this case, its single eye symbolizes combining two different arts into one, the synthesis of video and poetry. Videopoetry is the world view of a poet shown through a single eye, a video camera lens.
The program of the festival includes lectures on videopoetry, roundtables and discussions, workshops on the art of cinema, presentations of videopoetry contests and festivals, Videopoetry Laboratory, poetry readings, the Ad Verbum contest, screenings, and other activities somehow related to videopoetry. But the main highlight of the festival is its International Videopoetry Contest.
The CYCLOP International Videopoetry Contest (also known as the CYCLOP International Poetry Films Contest) is designed to identify and award the authors of the best works in the videopoetry genre. It also aims to promote the art of videopoetry and related arts, to introduce the general public to the work of contemporary poets, and to develop videopoetry as a form of art.
The competition is open to works of Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian videopoets. Each work must be no more than 7 minutes long. Only modern poetry can be used, but there are no restrictions considering techniques and equipment used to create videos. All works must have English subtitles at the time submitted.
The best works are chosen by the international jury that includes professional filmmakers, screenwriters, poets, writers, playwrights, literary critics and other industry professionals, as well as the winners of the previous competitions. The main evaluation criteria are the artistic value of the works, creativity, social and humanistic orientation, masterful application of artistic means.
The CYCLOP Videpoetry Festival is one of the biggest events of its kind in the world. It collaborates with other videopoetry festivals based in Argentina, Austria, Canada, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, the USA, and other countries.
Photo: cyclop.in.ua
