In 2024, a team of young artists and cultural organizers working in the creative industries organized the European Slam Poetry Championship in Košice, bringing together participants from 32 countries. The documentary The Center of the Peripheries, produced by SLAM POETRY SK, captures not only the championship itself, but also the unique cultural infrastructure of Košice and the broader social atmosphere in which the event took place. In a distinctive way, it presents the leading voices of the European slam poetry scene and the message they carry.

The film does not shy away from difficult subjects such as the war in Ukraine or the current situation of artists and the arts in Europe at a time when extreme nationalism is once again on the rise in some countries. At the same time, it sensitively portrays the solidarity within the remarkable artistic community of the European slam poetry movement.

The documentary film The Center of Peripheries was made on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Slam Poetry scene in Slovakia.

The film will have its world premiere at Art Film Fest.

Accompanying programme: After the screening, there will be a slam poetry evening and a discussion with the filmmakers.

Slam Poetry performers: Hera (Ukraine), Tomáš Straka (Slovakia), Sven Stears (ENG).

Discussion: Director Matej Baník, film producers and organizers of the 2024 European Slam Poetry Championship, Katarína Sabolová and Tomáš Straka. Moderated by Diana Gábriková.

Accompanying programme: 21 June, 6:00 PM / Kino Úsmev – Hera (Ukraine): poetry reading and slam performance for the Ukrainian diaspora.

Distributor: OZ Slam Poetry SK