Poetry Unites films

Poetry Unites was an international program, created for the Evens Foundation by Polish filmmaker Ewa Zadrzyńska

The project’s goal was to promote poetry and poetry readers, in the hope that their enthusiasm would be contagious to thousands, if not millions, of their fellow European citizens.

Since 2006, the films have been broadcast on Polish Public TVP2 to millions of viewers.

From 2007 the Evens Foundation conducted the Poetry Unites contests for a best essay about a favorite poem.

In September 2008 the Evens Foundation launched the first nationwide Poetry Unites contest open to all school children in Poland. The contest premiered in Poland, then co-opted Germany and this year added Bulgaria. It was open to all school children.

The project promoted poetry through a series of five-minute-long films shown and distributed on television, the Internet and in theaters. Each film was based on a particular poetry lover who speaks about his or her life in the context of presenting a favorite poem. This project with a literary dimension revealed both similarities and differences between people. By offering intimate insights into the mind of another person, it contributed to mutual understanding among European citizens. The films brought together millions of people who would otherwise probably never have had contact with each other and therefore would never have seen how much they have in common.

The “Poetry Unites – My Favorite Poem” was inspired by the American Poet Laureate, Robert Pinsky, the author of the “Favorite Poem” project.

Film archive:

2013: