About the film

"Poem of Death" is a documentary about a group of poets in Amsterdam, who write custom-written poems and recite them a “Lonely Funerals”. They accompany the solitary departed to the grave, with a poem written for the occasion. In Amsterdam alone, fifteen people a year pass away whose interment will not be witnessed. Be it nameless people, or people with a name, but without family or friends.

In the documentary "Poem of Death" we witness the journey of a typical “Lonely Funeral”. We observe how government officials organize events, how the funeral home cares for the body and coffin and how the poets prepare for their recital at the graveside. There is often so little information to be found, that it is unclear as to how the deceased ended up in his isolated situation. Perhaps by choice or by circumstance; no one will ever know. The poet is therefore compelled to interpret, to invent. But what does one write for somebody who is no longer known to anyone?

Wybrane nagrody i festiwale / Selected festivals and awards: 2013 – Visions du Réel Nyon / Visions du Réel Nyon, 2012 – FF Utrecht / Utrecht FF