In Need Of Seawater: A Film Bringing Poetry To Life

In Need of Seawater is an independent documentary short that brings poetry to life through performance, narration, and cinematic composition. Inspired by poems written by writer Mark Anthony Thomas earlier in his career, the film transforms literary work into a visual and emotional experience centered on voice, memory, and presence. The film will premiere Saturday, January 10, with an in-person screening at Baltimore’s SNF Parkway Theatre at 5:00 p.m., followed by a national online release later that evening. The film is the first installment in a three-part cinematic series examining Thomas’s creative work across time. In Need of Seawater reflects on an earlier chapter of his life, drawing from poems in The Poetic Repercussion and translating selected works into cinematic form through performance, narration, and visual composition. “These poems were written during a formative period of my life,” said Thomas. “For those who value poetry and literature, the film offers a new way to encounter the work. By translating the poems into a multimedia form, it also opens the material to wider audiences—foregrounding emotional vulnerability and a shared sense of resilience.” The project was developed through a close collaboration between Thomas and director Richard Yeagley, who worked together to adapt the poetry for the screen and shape the film’s structure, pacing, and visual language. Producers Scott Burkholder and Dustin Kuhns supported the project’s development and production. The film features actor Ziaire Mann, whose performance serves as the film’s emotional and structural anchor, guiding its rhythm and continuity. The film’s cover art and visual identity were created by Baltimore-based artist Jeffrey Kent. “We began by filming an intimate poetry performance,” said Yeagley. “The goal was to make the audience feel present in the room, experiencing the poems firsthand. From there, the film evolved to include additional visual layers—images that function as memory and metaphor—placing performance, memory, and personal history in dialogue with the text.” The poems at the center of In Need of Seawater explore aspiration, identity, and self-definition, situating personal memory within a broader creative trajectory. Fully produced in Baltimore with local collaborators, the film emphasizes intimacy, voice, and lived experience over exposition. Alongside his work as a writer, Thomas has spent more than two decades in senior economic development and civic leadership roles, including leadership positions in New York City, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh. He currently serves as President and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, the Baltimore Region’s business-civic leadership and economic development organization, and has served on national boards focused on economic development, innovation, and place-based strategy. In Need of Seawater establishes the thematic and visual foundation for a three-part exploration of time, memory, and artistic evolution. More information and screening updates: www.markanthonythomas.com/seawater