Poetry of Resilience 2011
Distributed by Women Make Movies, 462 Broadway, New York, NY 10013; 212-925-0606
Produced by Katja Esson
Directed by Katja Esson
DVD, color with b&w sequences, 40 min.
Sr. High-General Adult
Asian Studies, Biography, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Human Rights, Jewish Studies, Poetry, World War II, Writing
Date Entered: 10/11/2012
Reviewed by Kathleen Spring, Nicholson Library, Linfield College, McMinnville, OR“When you are a poet, you have to tell the truth.” In this short documentary by Katja Esson, the truth is precisely what we hear from poets who are survivors of political atrocities. Part poetry reading, part mini-biography, viewers are introduced to works by Li-Young Lee, Lillian Boraks-Nemetz, Yasuhiko Shigemoto, Alexandre Kimenyi, Choman Hardi, and Majid Naficy, who have survived China’s Cultural Revolution, the Holocaust, Hiroshima, the Rwandan Genocide, the Kurdish Genocide in Iraq, and the Iranian Revolution. Esson anchors Poetry of Resilience firmly in the voices of the poets. Textual representations of poems read in voiceover appear atop background images that often document the sites of resistance, and contextualization is provided through candid interviews with the poets. The film is well edited, allowing the focus to remain on language and reflection. Poetry of Resilience would be useful in college courses in poetry, and writing, as well as in high school history classes to prompt discussion of historic events. Public library collections would also benefit from this film.
In English, with occasional English subtitles for heavily accented speakers.
Awards:
- Winner, Best Short Doc, Woodstock Film Festival