Slammers (2003)

Slammers is a documentary about several young, contemporary poets who perform in bars and at festivals. Since the emergence of the Slammer phenomenon, director Wilko Bello has visited these evenings.

In the film, he follows the first annual winners of the Amsterdam Slam Bar Festina Lente: Sven Ariaans, Eus and Erik Jan Harmens and their mutual friendship. He also films the breakthrough of the young talent Sieger M. Geertsma from Groningen. Geertsma was nominated this year for the C. Buddingh' Prize for the best poetry debut with his anthology "Streetfighter".

In the film, we see the poets filled with fire, declaiming their work in bars and rock temples throughout the country. The best poets float to the surface by taking part in a "Poetry Slam"; a battle of words in front of an audience in which both message and medium are equally important. In several rounds, the audience votes for each Slammer by applause until the Grand Finale.

Word wrestling, rapping, rounds, winning, disappointment, talent, nerves and drink are the ingredients of the story. In everyday life, they are four very different people, but all write poetry from the need to get closer to themselves and to others.

Slammers is a film about being addicted to the stage and fear of the blank sheet and about the emergence of a scene with packed houses dancing to poetry. An exciting new phenomenon for an old art.

In 2002, Wilko Bello received the Film Prize from the city of Utrecht for his debut film Wheels of Fortune and was also nominated in the category "best full-length documentary" at the Dutch Film Festival.

Slammers is a co-production of Selfmade Films with NPS. This film was made with support from the Dutch Cultural Broadcasting Fund and the ThuisKopie Fonds.