Spit The Movie

This is the teaser for SP!T
There's a kind of joy and an electric energy that comes from poetry, even when it's hard-hitting and the subject matter oft-times covered in darkness. Its modern incarnation, the art of “spoken word”, is a fusion of poetry and performance that draws on rhythms of the street and the culture of urban America. Some call it a “revival” of the Beat Era of the '50s, with poetry and spoken word making a comeback in nightclubs and coffeehouses of America’s big cities. This organic, raw verse continues its evolution, in the documentary feature film, "SP!T".
This is a spot for SP!T that aired on CURRENT TV
This documentary film explores the entire world of spoken word, while focusing on four poets from Los Angeles and New York. Led by our narrators, Rosario Dawson, Mums, and Abiodun, we explore the history of spoken word, it’s relationship with hip hop, the economics of being a poet, and we see the future of Spoken Word. Spit explores the history of spoken word through interviews with Nikki Giovanni, The Last Poets, and Miguel Algarin. We meet Miguel Algarin, the co-founder of the Nuyorican Poetry Café, hanging out in the Lower Eastside of New York. Along with learning the history of the Café, we see the environment that helped form the strong poetry vibe in New York City. We also meet Shihan, Poetri, and Gimel, founders and driving force behind the nation’s largest weekly spoken word venue, Da Poetry Lounge. We see the differences, and similarities, between spoken word in Los Angeles and New York. Next, we meet the poets, the heart and soul of spoken word. Then of course, there are the poets. Meet Al B Back, as he puts it, a poet born in Queens, living in Brooklyn, and rappin’ in Manhattan.” We see, through his eyes, what it’s like growing up poor in the city, finding your soul in the world of poetry, being ridiculed by your peers, and finding solace and refuge in a place called, The Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Next, meet Mollie Angelheart, a Los Angeles based poet looking for a record deal to combine poetry with music. We see, through her eyes, the highs and lows of being a rising star in the poetry world, and being Caucasian. Meet Oveous Maximus, a poet from Washington Heights who found his voice only after losing his best friend, his brother Ziinc Blue. Watch as he journey’s to the National Poetry Slam competition to bring to life the spirit of his brother. And lastly, meet Shihan the Poet, the slam master of Da Poetry Lounge as he tries to guide his slam to another title at the National Poetry Slam Competition. We see through his eyes what it takes to be a successful poet as he supports his wife and daughter off his words. These are the poets we meet as we explore the world of "SP!T" More than just a film about slam, this film explores the lives of the poets outside of the poetry houses. We see what inspires them to write, how their relationships affect their art, and their backgrounds. We see the sacrifices, the pain and the joy, that these poets go through to follow their dreams.
In "SP!T", we also explore the connection between spoken word and the world of Hip Hop. West we see how strongly Hip Hop is connected with Spoken Word, and how the entertainment industry has both welcomed and shunned the art of Spoken Word. We meet Russel Simmons and some of the other stars of the Def Poetry Jam and get their take on poetry and what it took to get this art form on a network like HBO.
No matter how far we go to explore the world of Spoken Word and it’s affect on main stream pop culture, we always come back to the heart and soul of the film, the poets. We watch their journey’s as some of them compete to make it to the National Slam finals, and watch the others who don’t believe in the “Slam” aspect of poetry.
No matter how big the competitions get though, or how exposed poetry becomes, there will always be a safe haven for poets who are looking for a place to open their hearts, and share their souls. And that is the reason to tell this story. To show these poets, and showcase this art form that is celebrated every week, and watch as these poets…… "SP!T"