International Poetry Film Festival, Los Angeles, 2026: Opening Night

Beyond Baroque is one of the United States' leading independent Literary/Arts Centers and public spaces dedicated to literary and cultural production, contact, interaction, and community building. Founded in 1968, it is based in the Old Town Hall in Venice, California, near the Pacific Ocean. It offers a program of readings, new music, free workshops, publishing, bookstore, archiving, and education. Learn more at beyondbaroque.org.

Beyond Baroque Literary | Arts Center

Kick off the International Poetry Film Festival, Los Angeles, at Beyond Baroque

Beyond Baroque

The International Poetry Film Festival, Los Angeles, kicks off on Friday, April 24, with an opening night event celebrating past festival contributors from the Los Angeles area. The evening features a moderated conversation about the creative process and collaborations behind transforming poems into films for the big screen. The panel includes poets Mylo Lam and Rich Ferguson and filmmaker Mark Wilkinson in conversation with Vicki Syal. The program will revisit some festival favorites and present an exclusive selection of short poetry films in celebration of the festival’s fifth year. Be sure to join us the next day, on Saturday, April 25 for this year's Official Selection screening. The fifth edition of the International Poetry Film Festival, Los Angeles, features screenings of 64 poem-based films from around the world, including selections from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Mexico, the United Kingdom, among other countries. Selected by festival director Lynn Holley and Beyond Baroque, the films will screen in The Wanda Coleman Theater. More information about the films showcased this year can be found at <a href="https://poetryfilmfestival.org/" title="https://poetryfilmfestival.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">poetryfilmfestival.org.</a> <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1986031030274?aff=oddtdtcreator" title="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1986031030274?aff=oddtdtcreator">Click here to purchase tickets for Official Selection.</a> About the panelists Vicki Syal is a Brazilian-Indian producer and Sundance Producers Lab Fellow who's been making films for almost two decades. Her work has premiered at Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and BFI. She's known for creating empowering, inclusive sets where authentic storytelling thrives. Pushcart-nominated poet Rich Ferguson has shared the stage with Patti Smith, Wanda Coleman, and other esteemed artists. He is a featured performer in the film What About Me? featuring Michael Stipe, k.d. lang, and others. His poetry has been widely published, and his spoken word videos have appeared in international film festivals. He is the author of the poetry collections 8th &amp; Agony (Punk Hostage Press), Everything Is Radiant Between the Hates (Moon Tide Press), Somewhere, a Playground, and the novel New Jersey Me (Rare Bird Books). Ferguson is the lead editor of an anthology of CA poets entitled Beat Not Beat (Moon Tide Press). Mark Wilkinson is a director, cinematographer, and photographer based in Los Angeles and Atlanta He has directed music videos, performance films, and documentary features across a wide range of artists and genres — from intimate portrait pieces to large-scale concert work. His performance video credits include Shakira, Katy Perry, Alice in Chains, Weezer, Norah Jones, Luke Bryan, Sara Bareilles, and many others. He's also directed music videos for Danielle Barbe, Semi Precious Weapons, Miss Derringer, and spoken-word artist Rich Ferguson. His most recent feature is American Tap, a documentary about the evolution and social history of tap dancing. It premiered at Lincoln Center, traveled internationally, and won the Audience Award at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival. It remains the definitive film on the subject. On the commercial side, he partners with Bruce Somers, Jr. at Sincbox, directing spots for a broad range of brands. His photography work—spanning food, portraiture, and beauty—has appeared in campaigns for clients including Curlsmith, Nigerian designer Jospeh Ejiro, Bonta and others. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and the Actors Studio Directors Unit. Mylo Lam was born in Vietnam and currently lives in Los Angeles where he grew up. He and his family are refugees from Cambodia. Mylo’s work has been published or is forthcoming in The Margins, Guesthouse, Beloit Poetry Journal, Nightboat Books, and elsewhere. His multimedia work won Palette Poetry’s Brush &amp; Lyre Prize, his poetry won Blood Orange Review's Emerging Writers Contest, and his chapbook AND NOT/AND YET was published by Quarterly West. He is currently pursuing his MFA in Poetry at Randolph College. About Beyond Baroque<a href="https://www.beyondbaroque.org/" title="https://www.beyondbaroque.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Beyond Baroque</a> is one of the United States' leading independent Literary | Arts Centers and public spaces dedicated to expanding the public's knowledge of poetry, literature and art through cultural events and community interaction. Founded in 1968 as an experimental literary magazine, Beyond Baroque is based out of the original City Hall building in Venice, California. The Center offers a diverse variety of literary and arts programming including readings and workshops. The building also houses a bookstore with a large collection of new poetry books for sale. Ticket purchase is required. Tickets will be available at the Beyond Baroque bookstore on the day of the event, but we recommend registering in advance through Eventbrite. Masks are encouraged while inside our center. Please arrive early. Event attendees are expected to behave in a respectful and considerate manner while in our space. Beyond Baroque reserves the right to remove individuals from our events, virtual or otherwise, if they are not respecting the space, staff, fellow attendees, or performers.

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

International Poetry Film Festival, Los Angeles, 2026: Opening Night

More events from Beyond Baroque Literary | Arts Center

Discover more events from Beyond Baroque Literary | Arts Center, from Film & Media to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Los Angeles and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.

International Poetry Film Festival, Los Angeles, 2026: Opening Night

More events from Beyond Baroque Literary | Arts Center

Discover more events from Beyond Baroque Literary | Arts Center, from Film & Media to other experiences you might love.

More Film & Media events

Browse more Film & Media events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all events in Los Angeles and filter by date, category, and more to find the perfect fit.