FIVE OF THE WORLDS OLDEST POEMS REIMAGINED FOR THE 21ST CENTURY inVERSE-poetry.reimagined #WorldPoetryDay2021 @inversefilm @midaspr

LAUNCHING ON WORLD POETRY DAY 2021

For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision.
But today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness.
And every tomorrow
A vision of hope.

Salutation to the Dawn by Kālidāsa (attributed) - India, c.400 CE

inVERSE – Introduction

Launching on World Poetry Day on 21st March 2021, inVERSE is a collection of five of the world’s oldest surviving poems re-imagined for the 21st century through the medium of film, by the award-winning film maker Jack Jewers.

Each film takes an ancient poem as a prism through which to explore the world today. With historical poems ranging from the 1st Century Italy to 1500 BCE Mesopotamia, these five shortfilms explore time and the human condition using the language of the ancients and the modern film making techniques of the 21st century. In celebration of humanity’s long relationship withpoetry on World Poetry Day, these five films are a reminder that in these troubled modern times, poetry still has the ability to soothe and inspire.

Far from being dry, remote echoes of a long-gone age, each poem chosen for the collection feels like it could have been written yesterday. And why shouldn’t they? People are people. Our dreams are nothing new. Our ancestors had the same hopes and fears that we do. And if we can understand this, perhaps it helps to put some of the problems of our modern world into perspective.  

The five films being released to mark World Poetry Day on Sunday 21st March are:

• The Look – A first century poem taken from Ovid’s Ars Amarosa is reimagined as a celebration of inclusivity and tolerance.

• Love Song – An Egyptian love poem written in 1400 BCE reveals a meditation on the meaning of relationship and gender in 2021.

• Long Wall – A poem about loss and suffering from the Han Dynasty in China, opens up a conversation about Europe’s refugee crisis.

• My Heart – Originating from ancient Mesopotamia, “My Heart Flutters Hastily” is a delightful reminder that those giddy, dizzy feelings you can get when you really like somebody are nothing new.

• The Dawn – The ancient Indian poet Kālidāsa’s Salutation to the Dawn transforms into a rallying cry for a better tomorrow led by young street protestors.

All five of the films are available free to watch via the inverse website inversefilm.uk.

Introduction – My thoughts

I am delighted to be taking part in bringing you, on World Poetry Day, this fascinating project. inVerse is the creation of Jack Jewers, a series of five films each taking an ancient poem and reimagining it’s theme. What has happened through this reimagining is to realise, to understand that history shown through these ancient poems and modern media can reflect and resonate in our lives today.

The films are free to view below and further information can be found at Inverse Film website and you can follow @inversefilm . Let me take this opportunity to state that any issues with playing the linked films will be as a result of my inability to utilise the embed codes correctly and so I have also included a link under each film or, of course, you can utilise the website link which has also been included in this post.

Thanks: With thanks to Bei at MidasPR for the invitation to be a part of this amazing event and inVerse who have provided all the links for you to enjoy this wonderful feast on World Poetry Day.

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The Look

Based on the poem Take Care With How You Look from Ars Amarosa by Ovid. Italy, 1st Century CE. (Abridged).

The Romans knew how to have a good time. The Look is an abridged version of ‘Take Care With How You Look,’ a chapter from Ars Amarosa (“The Art of Love”), by the poet Ovid. Its themes of rejecting false nostalgia about the past, and embracing the richness of the modern age, sounded to me like a celebration of inclusivity and tolerance. Of course, Ovid was writing about a very different age to our own but the message holds as true today as it always has been. And what more fabulous harbingers for this message than Drag Queens United?

inVERSE: The Look from Jack Jewers on Vimeo.

Watch here: https://inversefilm.uk/watch/the-look

Production Notes: This is the only INSIGHT short that was put together from found footage, rather than filmed specially for the series. The lovely, colourful, joyous shots of Drag Queens United were taken at Amsterdam Pride in 2017.

Love Song

Based on the poem The Flower Song – Anon. Egypt, c.1400 BCE. (Abridged).

A timeless declaration of love and desire, this poem feels as fresh today as it did when it was written – a long, long time ago. The imagery is strikingly sensual; how the narrator describes the sound of their true love’s voice as being like the taste of sweet wine; or wishing they were her very her clothes, so that they could forever be close to her body. It’s passionate, erotic, and quite beautiful.

inVERSE: Love Song from Jack Jewers on Vimeo.

Watch here: https://inversefilm.uk/watch/love-song

Production Notes: None of the couples you see in the film had met before they came into the studio on the bright, spring day on which it was filmed – with one exception. The older couple are Alfred and Leila Hoffman, who were 92 and 83 at the time of filming, who have been together for over 60 years. The velvet-voiced narration is provided by Adam Roche, host of the Secret History of Hollywood podcast – required listening for all classic movie fans.

The Dawn

Based on the poem Salutation to the Dawn by Kālidāsa (attributed) – India, c.400 CE

Considered the greatest poet of ancient India, Kālidāsa is a founding figure of world literature. And yet, a lot of mystery surrounds Kālidāsa. Some scholars even question whether he was a real person, suggesting instead that his work is a kind of collected greatest hits of the ancient Sanskrit world. And perhaps it’s appropriate that such an inspiring poem was written by a semi-mythical figure. It sounds to me like a rallying cry for a better tomorrow. And who better to get that across than young street protestors?

inVERSE: The Dawn from Jack Jewers on Vimeo.

Watch here: https://inversefilm.uk/watch/the-dawn

Production Notes: ‘Bullet time’ is an effect that makes objects and people look like they are frozen in thin air. Creating true bullet time requires two things we did not have – time and money. So instead, Jack took a low-fi approach. Aside from a few simple computer-generated touches to enhance the overall effect, everything you see is done for real. The protestors are all professional dancers, who had the strength and balance necessary to be able to keep still for extended periods of time – often in difficult and uncomfortable poses.

Long Wall

Based on the poem He Waters His Horse By A Breach in the Long Wall – Anon. China, c.120 BCE

Jack Jewers says: The first time I read this anonymous poem – dating from the Han Dynasty in China, sometime around 120BCE – I was blown away by its age. How can a poem this rich and vivid be so old? The idea for this whole series of films grew from there. The poem conveys such poignant feelings of separation and loss that it seemed to be perfectly suited to a tale of refugees, far from home.

inVERSE: Long Wall from Jack Jewers on Vimeo.

Watch here: https://inversefilm.uk/watch/long-wall

Production Notes: The refugee crisis is close to actress Sophia Eleni’s heart. Her mother fled the war in Cyprus in the mid-1970s, Most of the footage that ends the film was donated by the charity Refugee Rescue, who undertake tireless work saving desperate people at sea.

My Heart

Based on the poem My Heart Flutters Hastily – Anon. Mesopotamia, c.1500 BCE

Originating from ancient Mesopotamia, “My Heart Flutters Hastily” is a delightful reminder that those giddy, dizzy feelings you can get when you really like somebody are nothing new. Whether it’s in a world of dating apps and socially-distanced love, or from a time that feels unimaginably distant, people have been falling in love the same way forever.

inVERSE: My Heart from Jack Jewers on Vimeo.

Watch here: https://inversefilm.uk/watch/my-heart

Production Notes: inVERSE started life in a world before anyone had ever heard the word ‘Covid’ and lockdown was something to do with home security. So when the world ground to a half in the spring of 2020, Jack had to find alternative ways of finishing the project. Working with Los Angeles-based actress Joanne Chew, Jack devised a method of directing over Zoom while she recorded the takes on her phone, as selfies. The result is the lightest of the five films, and the sweetest.

Jack Jewers

Jack Jewers is a filmmaker and writer. Passionate about telling stories in all media, his body of work crosses film, TV, and digital. His short films and web series have been shown in and out of competition at dozens of film and web festivals, including Cannes, New York, Washington D.C., Marseille, Dublin, and London’s FrightFest.

In 2014 he developed and directed Night School, a web series based on the popular young adult novels of the same name. It quickly grew from a couple of low-budget short films to become one of the highest-profile British web series to date. Jack’s numerous short films as director include the critically-acclaimed Shalom Kabul, a dark comedy based on the true story of the last two Jews of Afghanistan. 

Jack has won several accolades for his film work, including an award from the Royal Television Society and a nomination for Best Short Film by BAFTA Wales. He has been invited to speak about his work at several major film and TV industry events, including Series Mania in Paris. Jack has also worked in advertising.

Through his production company, Queen Anne’s Revenge, Jack is currently in development on the fantasy TV series Whatever After, featuring Jessica Brown Findlay. He is also working on a small slate of feature film projects, including a thriller set in the international protest movement, entitled Generation Revolution. 

Away from the cinema in all its forms, Jack has a deep interest in literature and history. He writes historical fiction, and is the co-founder of the publishing company Moonflower Books. 

He lives near London with his wife, the author Christi Daugherty, a small menagerie of pets, and a friendly ghost. But that’s another story.

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Film Credits

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The Long Wall

Poem: He Waters His Horse By A Breach in the Long Wall Anon. China, c.120 BCE

Directed, Produced & Edited by: JACK JEWERS

Director of Photography TOM BLOUNT

Narrator: SOPHIA ELENI

VFX: LUKE RUSHWORTH | BIG YELLOW FEET

Colourist: PAUL FALLON

Makeup Artist: EMILY COLLINS

Camera Assistant: EMILY TAIT

Production Assistants: JUSTINE DUHART | SIMON HALL

Music: ‘Homecoming’ by Peter Broderick & Machinefabriek

Published by Erased Tapes Music

©2021 Queen Anne’s Revenge Ltd.

Love Song

Poem: The Flower Song Anon. Egypt, c.1400 BCE. (Abridged).

Directed, Produced & Edited by: JACK JEWERS

Director of Photography: TOM BLOUNT

Narrator: ADAM ROCHE

The Lovers: YASMINE ALICE | MARGARET DANE | JOSEPH SIMPSON-BUSHELL | NATASHA GREEN | ALFRED HOFFMAN & LEILA HOFFMAN | ASHLEY ROSE-KAPLAN | MARLON KAMEKA | ANA MCMORROW| TONY RICHARDSON

Colourist: PAUL FALLON

Camera Assistant: EMILY TAIT

Makeup Artist: EMILY COLLINS

Production Assistant: JUSTINE DUHART

Filmed at Mowlam Studios, Bethnal Green, London

©2021 Queen Anne’s Revenge Ltd.

My Heart

Directed, Produced & Edited by: JACK JEWERS

Actress: JOANNE CHEW

Music: “Flight As A Feather” by Simon Porter

Performed by the English Session Orchestra

Published by Audio Network

©2021 Queen Anne’s Revenge Ltd.

Take Care

Narrated, Edited & Produced by: JACK JEWERS

Director of Photography: GUILLAUME VERSTEEG

Footage of ‘Drag Queens United’ at Pride Amsterdam © 2017 G3B Studios

Used by kind permission of G3B Studios and the Queens Themselves

Music: ‘Lightly Drift’ by Helen Jane Long

Published by Audio Network

©2021 Queen Anne’s Revenge Ltd.

The Dawn

Poem: Salutation to the Dawn by Kālidāsa (attributed) – India, c.400 CE

Directed, Produced & Edited by: JACK JEWERS 

Director of Photography: TOM BLOUNT

Narrated by EMMA KNIEBE

The Protestors: YASMIN COGAN DE ABREU | CELESTINA BANJO | WILLIAM JOHN BANKS | LEWIS CHANCE | MARIAH LEANNE COLLINS | JUSTINE DUHART | BLANCA NINWEN | JOE PARTRIDGE | JASMINE POOLE

VFX: LUKE RUSHWORTH | BIG YELLOW FEET

Colourist: PAUL FALLON

Makeup Artist: EMILY COLLINS

Camera Assistant: EMILY TAIT

Production Assistant: JUSTINE DUHART

Music: ‘Wake the Stars’ by Philip Guyler

Published by Audio Network

©2021 Queen Anne’s Revenge Ltd.