Film Program

Francesco Levato, Executive Director, Poetry Center of Chicago

Discover new intersections of word and image:

Juried by Francesco Levato, Executive Director of the Poetry Center of Chicago, the Split This Rock late night film program will showcase cutting-edge film and video that explore ways in which poets, writers, and activists are collaborating with visual media artists to explore critical social issues. 

Featured films will include work by Jimmy Santiago Baca, Francesco Levato, Antonello Faretta, Taatske Pieterson, Katja Esson, Frey Hoffman, D J Kadagian, Sadie Wilcox & Petra Kuppers, Jay Rosenblatt & Jeanne Marie Beaumont, and Liz Rodda.

Poet, activist, and new media artist Francesco Levato is the executive director of The Poetry Center of Chicago. He is the author of Marginal State, a collection of poetry that tackles issues ranging from domestic violence and exploitation to war and political unrest. He is also a vocal advocate of using the arts as a form of political engagement and social responsibility. His poetry has been published internationally in journals and anthologies, both in print and online, including Versal; Arabesques Review; Citizen 32; Shark Forum; and Out of Line. His poetry-based video artwork has been shown at the Gene Siskel Film Center, and exhibited in galleries in New York, Chicago, and elsewhere.