Words are burning

Directed by Pascal Tessaud
Produced by Temps noir

Broadcasters: France Télévisions, TV5 Monde
Support: CFI, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SACEM, CNC, Procirep Angoa, ACSE

52’ / 2007

30 festival selections among which:
French Urban Cultures Festival
(New York – United States)
World Film Festival (Montréal – Canada)
« Celebrate the Word » Los Angeles Poetry Festival (United States)
Festival Paris Hip Hop Cinéma (France)
Dakar Film Festival (Senegal)
Tanger Festival Slam & Klam (Morocco)

From Saint-Denis to Roubaix, with stops in Paris, Aubervilliers and a tiny village in Brittany, Words are burning us takes viewers out to meet a new generation of spoken word poets, who meet in cafes and show halls to perform inventive, energetic, socially committed, or lighthearted texts. We take a close-up look at four slam poets: Nëggus, Luciole, Julien Delmaire and Hocine Ben, who share their passion for the spoken word. They tell us about their artistic influences and how slam poetry was born. Pascal Tessaud’s film describes this new booming form of artistic expression that has liberated poetry and invaded working-class hangouts. The entire country has caught slam fever!