filmpoem

Filmpoem is a form of audiovisual art in which poetry is the central element of the work. Usually presented as a short film or video, a filmpoem weaves spoken or written verse with moving images, sound design, and on-screen typography to create an integrated experience in which language and image shape meaning together.

The term and practice sit at the intersection of experimental cinema, video poetry, and digital art. It developed within late-20th- and early-21st-century visual poetry movements as artists harnessed inexpensive video gear and editing software to render poems as dynamic, time-based texts accompanied by imagery.

Common techniques include: on-screen typography that unfolds in sync with or against the poetry's cadence; voiceover or performance of the poem; montage that links lines to visual motifs; ambient sound or music; and non-linear or associative editing. Some works foreground the performative aspect of poetry while others treat the text as a visual object.

Filmpoems are shown in galleries, at film and poetry festivals, and online on video platforms. They may stand alone as a single piece or function as part of installation, multimedia performances, or anthology collections of poetry film.

As a cross-media practice, filmpoems expand access to poetry and invite readers and viewers to experience language as image and sound. Critics typically view them as part of experimental film and digital poetry, noting their emphasis on tempo, rhythm, and sensory association rather than narrative clarity.