Summertime

Over the course of a hot summer day in Los Angeles, the lives of 25 young Angelinos intersect. A skating guitarist, a tagger, two wannabe rappers, an exasperated fast-food worker, a limo driver—they all weave in and out of each other's stories. Through poetry they express life, love, heartache, family, home, and fear. One of them just wants to find someplace that still serves good cheeseburgers.

Blackwood

A look at the challenges of living in a small Australian town, portrayed through the lens of a novelist and her teenage son.

Atali'i O Le Crezent (Sons of the Crezent)

Soundz of Spirit

Award winning documentary by Joslyn Rose Lyons exploring the relationship between spiritual connection and the creative process in hip-hop music.

Christmas in Ireland with Imelda May and Friends

Music and literary performances from well-known and up-and-coming artists filmed at Pepper Canister Church in the heart of Georgian Dublin.

Young & Naive

Young & Na!ve is a poetic apology to everyone ever sexually molested and a film that needs to be seen by everyone ever born.

Being Kae Tempest

Poet, rapper, playwright and recording artist Kae Tempest is one of the most viscerally exciting artists working in Britain today. They are the youngest ever recipient of the prestigious Ted Hughes prize and have been nominated for both the Brit and Mercury music awards. Tempest has always found support and respect within the queer art scenes, a place close to their heart. In July 2020, they came out as non-binary, announcing that they would publish and perform under the name Kae. This film delves deep into their creative process and gains rare, intimate insights into Kae’s life throughout a period of profound personal and artistic change.

The Gun Is Loaded

At the end of the Reagan years, rocker and confrontational performance artist Lydia Lunch launches a broadside. From a formal podium, she attacks the white male power structure of the US. Next she takes on her parents. Then, the volume lowered and the background the streets of New York, she lets us know what she thinks of life, of herself, and of us, anyone who's watching or listening. Life is depression, despair, and death. She's the girl next door gone bad. And us? Compliant sheep. Lunch lays out a challenge.

Billie, Jasmine and the Poet

An interpretive visual to accompany the spoken word poem by Nikki Lorenzo, shot in one day on a hiking trail in Malibu, California.

Why We Need Pride

Short film set to a poem about why Pride is important to say thanks for human right's campaigners and to show solidarity. Dedicated to those who lost their lives in Orlando as that terrible attack happened during production.

Henry Rollins, Easter Sunday

A short film by Albert Watson from 1997 starring Henry Rollins as himself, doing his spoken word bit "I Know You" from the album The Boxed Life.

Rhymecology: Write Better Rhymes

The world of hip-hop lyrics has changed, simple rhyme schemes just don't cut it. Rhymes are put under a microscope, and there is no lyrical leeway for emerging artists. This gripping documentary tells the story of Jeff Walker.

GHOSTS

Energy cannot be created or destroyed. When we die, where does our energy go? Inspired by Vauhini Vara's essay "Ghosts", in which she prompted Al to help her write about her sister's passing, "GHOSTS" takes us on the emotional journey of grief. We see a ghost figure trying to get through to her sister, who is still alive, and let her know she's still around somehow. There are two poems in this piece, one is a poem written by GPT 3, and the next is the director's (Oriana Mejer) response to it. This film uses spoken word poetry, TouchDesigner motion graphics, and is originally scored by French musician Taime.

Rhyme & Reason: BBC Introducing Arts

Lemn Sissay presents a selection of short films from a new generation of artists who are inspired by poetry and the spoken word. Dying to Live; Notes on Being a Lady; Other Voices; Raised by Queenz; Terra Firma; The Siren's Song; Alice_Alice; My Grandad; The Fall; When Will It Stop?; Backwards; Covering Scars with Summer Jumpers; Is Anybody Out There?

Yayoi Kusama

Yayoi Kusama born March 22, 1929 is a Japanese artist and writer. Throughout her career she has worked in a wide variety of media, including painting, collage, scat sculpture, performance art, and environmental installations, most of which exhibit her thematic interest in psychedelic colors, repetition and pattern. A precursor of the pop art, minimalist and feminist art movements, Kusama influenced contemporaries such as Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and Yoko Ono.

The Wings

A kinetic typography animation set to a reading of the poem "The Wings" by Sebastian Fox.

Shut Up and Say Something

Canadian icon Shane Koyczan has brought his spoken word poetry to stages all over the world, including TED Talks that have gone viral and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. This documentary, both an introduction to his poetry and an exploration of his relationships with those around him, highlights his journey of seeking reconciliation with his father who abandoned him at an early age, and how in order to accomplish this, Koyczan has to rely on his poetry's vulnerability like never before.

Dublin, Spoken.

Three spoken word poets and event organizers based in Dublin - Melissa Ridge, Hazel Hogan and Kasey Shelley - reveal the positive impact poetry has had on their lives, and the challenges they have turning their hobby into a career.

NOISE!

Oriana Mejer's niche poem-film style has created "NOISE!". The film dissects late stage capitalism and the effects social media has on the mind. This is a spoken word poem, performed by Mejer, combined with projections. It is a completely new approach to editing. Originally score by Sofia Camarena.

Overload

A spoken word piece about an autistic person experiencing sensory overload in a world that rejects their existence.

Jim Jefferies: High n' Dry

No topic is off limits for Jim Jefferies as he muses on stoned koalas, his dad’s vasectomy confusion and choosing between his hair and his sex drive.

Katherine Ryan: In Trouble

Stand-up comic Katherine Ryan reminisces about unusual relationships, aging, Taylor Swift, life in the hometown she hates and the time she enraged an entire nation.

Ricky Gervais Live 2: Politics

A year after Animals, Ricky Gervais comes back with his second stand up comedy tour: Politics.

Sincerely Louis C.K.

Louis C.K. muses on religion, terrorism, small towns, Florida, disabilities, dogs, Auschwitz, marriage, sex, vegans, and his personal sexual controversy, in a live performance from Washington, D.C.

Dave Chappelle: The Closer

As he closes out his slate of comedy specials, Dave takes the stage to try and set the record straight — and get a few things off his chest.

Jim Jefferies: Intolerant

Between scenes from an excruciating date, Jim Jefferies digs into generational differences, his own bad habits and the shifting boundaries in comedy.

Jim Jefferies: Freedumb

Returning for a second Netflix comedy special, Jim Jefferies unleashes his famously ferocious black humor to a packed house in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill

Jerry Seinfeld takes the stage in New York and tackles talking vs. texting, bad buffets vs. so-called "great" restaurants and the magic of Pop Tarts.

Jim Jefferies: This Is Me Now

The gleefully irreverent Jefferies skewers “grabby” celebrities, political hypocrisy and his own ill-advised career moves in a brash stand-up special.

Tom Segura: Disgraceful

Tom Segura gives voice to the sordid thoughts you'd never say out loud, with blunt musings on porn, parking lot power struggles, parenthood and more.

Bill Burr: Let It Go

It’s always been a dream of mine to do a show at the Fillmore. The name itself is synonymous with legendary performances. Countless iconic musicians and comedians have been on that stage. To be a part of that history was something I’ll never forget. As much as I was trying to keep my head together before the show, I couldn’t help but feel like a tourist or just some random dude who won a contest. LET IT GO represents the culmination of material I developed on the road from 2008-2009. As always thanks to everyone who came out to my shows, laughed at the funny stuff and stared during the bombing. I hope you enjoy it. – Bill Burr

Eddie Murphy Raw

Eddie Murphy delights, shocks and entertains with dead-on celebrity impersonations, observations on '80s love, sex and marriage, a remembrance of Mom's hamburgers and much more.

Bill Burr: Live at Red Rocks

Comedian Bill Burr sounds off on cancel culture, feminism, getting bad reviews from his wife and a life-changing epiphany during a fiery stand-up set.

Ricky Gervais Live: Animals

Ricky Gervais entertains a live audience in his first stand-up routine.

Marc Maron: Too Real

Battle-scarred stand-up comedian Marc Maron unleashes a storm of ideas about meditation, mortality, documentary films and our weird modern world.

Jim Jefferies: Bare

Smart, crude, and in-your-face, Australian comic/actor/equal-opportunity-offender Jim Jefferies is not for the faint of heart. Whether he is lampooning gun control, auditioning disabled actors, or over-sharing sexual experiences, the FXX "Legit" star proves nothing is out of bounds and even less, off limits. Filmed during the Boston run of his recent stand up tour.

Bill Burr: Walk Your Way Out

No-nonsense comic Bill Burr takes the stage in Nashville and riffs on fast food, overpopulation, dictators and gorilla sign language.

Dave Chappelle: Killin' Them Softly

Dave Chappelle returns for a stand-up to D.C. and riffs on politics, police, race relations, drugs, Sesame Street and more.

Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby

SNL alumnus and subversive master of late-night Seth Meyers comes out from behind the desk to share some lighthearted stories from his own life.

Chelsea Peretti: One of the Greats

Standup special filmed live at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.