LOUDER THAN A BOMB

2010
Feature Documentary

Directed by Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel
Edited by John Farbrother
Director of Photography Stephen Mazurek
Siskel/Jacobs Productions

Louder Than A Bomb chronicles the stereotype-confounding stories of four Chicago area high school teams as they prepare for and compete in the world’s largest youth poetry slam. By turns hopeful and heartbreaking, the film captures the tempestuous lives of these unforgettable kids, exploring the ways writing shapes their world, and vice versa. This is not “high school poetry” as we often think of it. This is language as a joyful release, irrepressibly talented teenagers obsessed with making words dance. How and why they do it—and the community they create along the way—is the story at the heart of this inspiring film.

This is may be the greatest achievement of all the projects I’ve worked on: Show #8025, Friday, June 28, 2019, Teen Tournament final, game 2, Double Jeopardy! Round, category POETEENS for $1200 (thanks to J! Archive, photo by Nate Marshall)

2011 Humanitas Prize for Documentary
Roger Ebert’s Top 10 Docs of 2011
Selected for U.S. State Department’s 2011 American Documentary Showcase
Selected for the Oprah Winfrey Network Documentary Film Club, January 2012 air date
Special Jury Prize Chicago International Film Festival
Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Film Competition Cleveland Int’l Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary Woods Hole Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary Austin Film Festival
Best Documentary Virginia Film Festival
Special Jury Mention Ashland Independent Film Festival
Best New Directors Portland International Film Festival
Audience Award Palm Springs International Film Festival
Audience Award Chicago International Film Festival
Audience Award Cleveland International Film Festival
Audience Award Philadelphia Film Festival
Audience Award St. Louis International Film Festival
Audience Award Woods Hole Film Festival
Audience Award Salem Film Festival
Audience Award Wisconsin Film Festival
Audience Award Florida Film Festival
Audience Award Milwaukee Film Festival

“Inspiring and electrifying…Here are real performers with real feelings and important things to say…One of the ten best documentaries of 2011.”
–Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times

“Brimming with life and hope. A-“
–Noel Murray Onion A/V Club

“A get-up-and-clap kind of movie.”
–Tim Basham Paste Magazine

“An affecting and superbly paced celebration of American youth at their creative best…Camera coverage of many key moments, including shooting of some stunning readings, is key to the film’s vitality, along with John Farbrother’s sharp editing.”
–Robert Koehler Variety

“What 2002’s hit Spellbound did for spelling bees, this inspiring documentary does doubly well for high school spoken-word poetry slams…You’ll be riveted until the final explosive verse.”
–Seth Kubersky Orlando Weekly

“Louder Than a Bomb is an exhilarating film.”
–W.S. Merwin U.S. Poet Laureate

“A modern masterpiece on the level of Steve James’ Hoop Dreams.”
–Geraud Blanks Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

“One of the most inspiring and exhilarating documentaries in months, or maybe years….Vibrant and moving.”
–Steve Pond The Wrap

“An ode to Chicago’s diverse voices….Genuinely stirring…Irresistible.”
–Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune

“Four Chicago high-school poetry teams dazzle, inspire and kick serious ass with words… What it is: powerful and exhilarating.”
–Liz Plosser TimeOut Chicago

“This film is a purely emotional journey. Sometimes it fills you with joy, gives you goosebumbs, and instills you with the desire to leap up and cheer. Sometimes it touches you, sending your heart go out to the kids on the screen, while they struggle against the cards life dealt them and to learn lessons – however hard – that will actually make them better later in life. What’s genuinely incredible about Louder Than a Bomb is that it never once makes the viewer feel manipulated, which is a startling achievement for a documentary packed with so many poignant issues.”
–Trista DeVries Toronto Film Scene

“Louder Than a Bomb moved me to tears, got me cheering alone in my living room (I saw it on DVD), and made me laugh out loud. I love this movie for what it says about teen potential and the primo value of mutual support. And I loved the incredibly moving poetry these kids created, laying their lives out there for judgment. 4 stars.”
–Bob Fischbach Omaha World-Herald

“Louder Than a Bomb captures the inexplicable magic that occurs when the seemingly least likely candidates reach for something like poetry as a lifeline, seize it and climb to heights unimaginable. It is a rare majesty too few people get to witness. Until now. A.”
–Ryan Syrek The Reader (Omaha)

“It’s nearly impossible to hold back tears after (or while) watching the documentary (I cried three times), which is directed by Greg Jacobs & Jon Siskel. It exudes rhyming capabilities of world-class rappers and poets while maintaining the honesty of a child.”
–Karizza Sanchez Faze

“Only those possessing hearts of stone will remain unmoved by the raw adolescent emotion, passion and verbal jousting that make Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel’s documentary so poignant and enjoyable. The film smartly focuses on the kids, who continually stimulate brains, break hearts and make us care what happens to them.”
–Stan Hall The Oregonian

“Awesome…Equally parts heartbreaking and inspirational, this film is a reminder that even Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs had to start somewhere…so why shouldn’t it be at a local high school?”
–Nylonmag.com

“if this movie can win me over, it can win anyone over. This movie won me over. These kids are brilliant, charming wordsmiths, passionate performers and wise beyond their years…Slamming.”
–Matt Singer IFC

“Undeniably exciting…The kids whom Jacobs and Siskel have chosen for us to watch are so enthralling, with such remarkable life stories, that their autobiographical poems have actual power.”
–Gerald Peary Boston Phoenix

“Inspiring is a word I don’t care for. It’s too sentimental, too sweeping. But this film earns it. You can only laugh, sometimes even cry at how strong, bright, and remarkable the young people in this film are…a film so rich with emotion, it’s almost embarrassing.”
–Jesse Schwartz Dig Boston

“Louder Than a Bomb knocks you out with its passion and strength.”
–Marshall Fine Huffington Post

“The film is powered by the steam — and the enormous appeal — of its young, hyper-verbal and multiracial protagonists. They’ll blow you away with their dedication to their art form.”
–Michael O’Sullivan Washington Post

“Louder Than a Bomb is an incredibly touching and inspiring documentary that keeps an audience enthralled throughout with stirring poetry performances by talented teens…. It’s a near pitch-perfect pairing of character study and creative resolution…a superb documentary that feels like ‘Spellbound’ but with more purpose…Go out and find ‘Louder Than a Bomb’ in your local theater, one way or another it’ll make you feel something.”
–Lex Walker Just Press Play

“Thumping, upbeat…These teens are sharp, honest about their lives, and crowd-pleasing in a genuine way….Considering the emotional wallop the film packs, they are doing plenty right.”
–Logan Hill New York Magazine

“Filled with so many surprising and inspiring revelations that the outcome is almost beside the point…I won’t give away the ending except to say that, on the way there, you’ll be moved, amazed and royally entertained. Four Stars.”
–Richard Ades The Other Paper

“I loved Louder Than a Bomb. Siskel and Jacobs’ calm resistance of melodrama is fertile soil for these youngsters. The inherent value of filming the poetry slam, as opposed to the other competitions documented by previous kiddie docs is that these kids aren’t pouring their energies into learning arbitrary parlor tricks. These teenagers bring only their stories and their creative energy into an event that ends up feeling more like a party than a tournament. The competitive spirit courses through Louder Than A Bomb, but it never comes at the expense of positivity.”
–Alex Wilgus Filmspotting