We are thrilled to announce and convey our heartfelt congratulations to poet & filmmaker Janet Lees from the Isle of Man, whose film What I fear most is becoming “a poet” is Ó Bhéal’s 9th poetry-film competition winner, as announced at the 9th Winter Warmer Poetry Festival awards ceremony.

Janet’s film was chosen from 184 submissions received from 122 filmmakers in 32 countries. The 2021 shortlist represents 13 countries: Canada, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Perú, Romania, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, UK and the USA. You can view the complete shortlist and screenings here. Our warm thanks to all the poets and filmmakers who submitted this year.

Poem: What I fear most is becoming “a poet”

Synopsis – Katerina Gogou (1949-1993) was Greece’s greatest modern anarchist poetess. Her poems have become synonymous with the radical culture of Greece and with Exarcheia, the Athens neighbourhood known as the anarchist quarter. Born into the Nazi occupation of Greece, she lived through the years of far right military junta oppression and the country’s resurgent anarchist movement in the 1980s. An activist herself, she became a prophet of the movement and her poems anthems for it. She died of an overdose on 3 October 1993. This poetry film was produced by the Institute for Experimenal Arts and commissioned by the art platform filmpoetry.org, as part of the Digital Culture Programme, Ministry of Culture / Greece.

Director: Janet Lees (Isle of Man)

Janet Lees is an artist, poet and poetry filmmaker. Her film-based work has been selected for many festivals and screenings, including the Zebra Poetry Film Festival, the International Videopoetry Festival and the Aesthetica Art Prize. As an artist she has exhibited in group shows around the world. She represented the Isle of Man at the Festival Interceltique in France, with a full-scale solo exhibition of art photography, experimental film and poetry. Janet’s poetry is widely published and anthologised. She has had two books published: House of water, a collection of her poems and art photographs, and A bag of sky, the winning collection in the Frosted Fire Firsts prize hosted by the UK’s Cheltenham Poetry Festival.


 

“This is such an evocative and moving piece. Katerina Gogou’s poem, enormous in itself which speaks so intimately about the poet’s world of peril and uncertainty, met with this filigreed balance of soft pianissimo and perfectly-paced typography, the haunting, completely captivating visuals, the almost hesitant text (in places), and the very absence of voice bringing us so much closer to the poet’s inner sanctum… all just masterfully done. A highly worthy winner.”

Ó Bhéal’s 9th Winter Warmer (and 1st hybrid) festival presented 30 poets live from eight countries. Almost half of these featured guests appeared in-person at Nano Nagle Place, with others appearing virtually.

The shortlist and prize-giving for Ó Bhéal’s International Poetry-Film Competition were also screened and simulcast, as was an additional, special selection of poetry-films made in Ireland.

Twin Skies celebrates 14 years of poetry interplay between the cities of Cork and Coventry. The 40 poets whose work appears here have each visited their respective twin city on at least one occasion to share their well-crafted words and experiences. Poets included in the anthology read across two online events, at Ó Bhéal on the 9th August and at Fire & Dust in Coventry on the 19th of August.

Our thanks go to the city councils of Cork and Coventry for their ongoing support, as we continue to drive and develop our invaluable relationship for its benefits to poets and writing communities from both cities. Since 2008, the exchanges have been documented across a series of collective reviews by the participating poets, which can be viewed on the Ó Bhéal website at www.obheal.ie.

The 9th Five Words International Competition commences at noon on Tuesday the 13th of April, 2021 and continues until the 25th of January, 2022.

Ó Bhéal’s 8th Winter Warmer (and 1st online) festival presented 36 poets live from fifteen countries, over four days in November.

The festival also featured two poetry workshops, four newly recorded Mini-Concerts from Tionscadal na nAmhrán Ealaíne Gaeilge (the Irish Language Art Song Project) devised by Dáirine Ní Mheadhra and John Hess, the shortlist screening and prize-giving for Ó Bhéal’s International Poetry-Film Competition, a Many Tongues of Cork session and a closed-mic set for new voices – poets who have featured regularly in Ó Bhéal’s online open-mic sessions during 2020.

We are thrilled to announce the winning entry in Ó Bhéal’s 8th International Poetry-Film Competition – Noho Mai.

 

‘Symbolized in the bird’s flight, a group of Māori, Pākehā and Colombian creatives explore life’s journey, the longing to return to the nest, and the life-giving connection with our ancestors.’

This year’s judges Dareina Ní Chinnéide and Paul Casey, selected one entry to receive the Ó Bhéal award for best poetry-film, designed by glass artist Michael Ray. The winners were announced directly after the shortlist screenings.

“And so, I was drawn into this beautifully filmed, beautiful soundscape, delivered with a natural ease, the first time I watched all the wonderful poetry films submitted to this competition. The sparse lines of the poem ran along the wind of the film with powerful imagery. Strong but subtle. Neither the text, nor the image in the frame, collided – but fused together. The visual elements I was looking for were right there. The text of the poem was powering the vision in this beautiful language, I could not help but respond warmly to this film. It was a huge challenge to choose one overall winner in such a feast of poetry films, one which shone. This one did it for me. Congratulations all.” – Dairena Ní Chinnéide

“An absolutely stunning film. The finely wrought dance of words, visuals, music, pace and the dreamlike cadences of the Māori language. Noho Mai delivered everything I look for in a poetry film. A moving, beautiful poem and universal, timeless core of meaning which speaks also to our particularly detached and disconnected times. The filmmaking is a testament to the power of collaborative vision, crafted through the generous talents of six visual artists from New Zealand, Colombia and Spain. I would encourage any and all to relish this gleaming and worthy winner. An exquisite poetry film. – Paul Casey

Congratulations to all of this year’s shortlisted poets and for two highly commended entries from Cliona O’Connell (Ireland) and Rosemary Norman (England).

Shortlisted poems will appear in Five Words Vol XIII, to be launched at Ó Bhéal on Monday the 13th of April 2020, along with the award presentation and readings from contributors.

The 8th Five Words International Competition will commence at noon on Tuesday the 14th of April, 2020. Due to a significant increase in submissions, the competition will be increasing its prize money.

The 7th Winter Warmer festival saw an marked increase in audience numbers in the KINO and Hayloft Bar over three days. The festival featured 23+ poets, poetry-films, poetry set to music, live performance with film, workshops and a poetry film panel discussion.

The Saturday afternoon featured a closed-mic set for ten local poets. Events on Sunday 24th took place at Ó Bhéal’s regular home in The Hayloft Bar (Winthrop St), starting with a selection from Ó Bhéal’s 2019 Poetry-Film competition, followed by a multilingual Many Tongues of Cork session curated by Joanna Dukkupati to celebrate diversity through writing (and translation), featuring six female voices who represent a wide range of Cork communities. The session also included sign language interpretation from Ray Greene, with projected translations.

[L-R] Liz Berry, Afric McGlinchey, Aifric MacAodha & Anne Frater
 

With thanks to the festival sponsors and to the fabulous, ever-expanding team of volunteers. A truly communal effort and brilliant result. With thanks to Lovisa Cosgrave for the excellent videography and editing, and to poet/photographer Linda Ibbotson for the gorgeous photos – all available on our facebook page, at this link.

In 2019 Ó Bhéal welcomed Coventry poets Aysar Ghassan and Raef Boylan to Cork in August, while Cork poets Shaunna Lee Lynch and Benjamin Burns were sent (ceremoniously!) to Coventry, for two readings in November.