Hearing the word “poetry” is likely to conjure an image of books and rhymes from elementary school in the minds of many, but poetry is far more than amusing text. The third annual Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Festival proves it by bringing to Worcester a tantalizing mixture of film, music and words.

This poetry contest isn’t the stereotypical event – a poet reading his or her work in front of a microphone. In fact, it’s anything but. “Show, don’t tell” is the name of the game. Rabbit Heart producer Sou MacMillan describes the contest as films made out of poems, with the poems providing the framework.

The submissions run the gamut, from animation to outdoor scenes, and appeal to a wide range of audiences. There is something about the films that attract those who like traditional poetry, and there is something for those who like short movies. The collision of film and poetry is particularly appealing to the “MTV and YouTube generation,” Sou noted. “I see in these poems the same thing that captivated me growing up watching music videos.”

In addition to the films not being performance pieces, other criteria include films must be less than four minutes, the poetry must be created by the submitter, and the submitter must have had a hand in the film’s creation.

“Past winners were transportive, but through different methods,” MacMillan said. “They brought us in as viewers and really took us to the next place.”

One such winner was Rachel Kann, who walked away with a title for Best Sound/Music in a Production last year for her piece titled Drunk. Kann’s piece was based on the Jewish holiday Purim. Her film was truly a collaborative effort, with the music developed with a friend and the film shot by another friend on different continent – India, to be exact. “I love that I am not visually in it,” she noted.

Kann said the format creates a unique way to take someone on a journey. “It’s really hard to make a good poetry video. Taking out the element of the poet performing forces people to diversify how they are telling the story,” she said, “You have to find other ways, and it’s so much better.”

Kann’s competitors used a variety of means to tell their stories, “People used animation; people shot nature landscape,” she recalled. “There are so many ways to approach it.”

If this film festival sounds very unique, that’s because it is. In fact, the Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Festival is the only poetry on film event in North America this year, according to MacMillan.

Despite only being in its third year, the contest has experienced massive growth. More than 350 entries from more than 40 countries have been submitted this year. That number is up from around 30 entries the first year and just over 100 the second.

To further highlight the fact that the festival is gaining traction, Rabbit Heart was showcased in the CYCLOP festival in the Ukraine, and films have been featured at the pro.l.e series in Spain. While the contest has global appeal, that doesn’t mean a good number of films from locals aren’t competitively vying for a title and prize money, as well.

There are seven categories rounding out the festival this year: Best Overall Production, Best Animated, Best Music/Sound, Best Smartphone Production, Best Under 1 Minute, Best Valentine and the Shoots.

Despite the technological aspect of the poetry festival, the submissions aren’t necessarily created by those with unlimited funds and expensive equipment. The smartphone category is of particular importance to MacMillan because she feels that the contest shouldn’t be about creating artwork with a large budget.

“Accessibility is really important for me,” she said. “Art is supposed to belong to everybody. You get viewpoints that wouldn’t be there otherwise.”

Intrigued? As one may suspect, the films are meant to be enjoyed and shared with others.

The Rabbit Heart Poetry and Film Festival will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Nick’s Bar & Restaurant, 124 Millbury St., Worcester. For more information, visit doublebunnypress.com. To see Drunk, visit youtu.be/6GSACAsvSUQ.

Photos by Gary Hoare