Virtual Reality

• Gaudí, the Atelier of the Divine, Dir. Stéphane Landowski, Gaël Cabouat
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    Ages 8+

    US Premiere

    In competition, 2023 Venice International Film Festival

    The year is 1926. Weakened by age and bracing for his impending death, celebrated Spanish architect and designer Antoni Gaudí invites new assistants into his studio with the hope that they’ll come to understand his vision and complete his work. Users will slip into the character of a disciple and—guided by the voice of Gaudí—discover the architect’s extraordinary personality, his revolutionary creative methods, and his imaginative universe. As the user travels deeper into the mind of Gaudi, they’re trained to take over construction of the monument to which he devoted his life: The Sagrada Familia.

    Dir. Stéphane Landowski, Gaël Cabouat, France, Color, 20 min

     

• Plastisapiens, Dir. Miri Chekhanovich, Edith Jorisch, Maude Thibodeau, Nicolas S. Roy
  • Age 12+

    In competition, 2022 Tribeca Film Festival

    Take a deep breath in and out. Now relax and contemplate a world where plastic is completely integrated with the environment. Plastisapiens is a meditative virtual reality experience that allows us to consider this alternate universe with curiosity, playfulness, and a sense of wonder. Rooted in modern scientific research, the narrative slowly gives way to a beautiful and ironic speculative work of eco-fiction—a journey through time, evolution, and imagined futures. By interacting with organisms around us, then witnessing as our virtual organic selves merge with plastic, the experience creates a safe space to empathize with a material that binds us all. As we’re gently guided through an awe-inspiring cosmos of hybrid bodies, we’re ultimately left to ponder how the interchanging relationship between humans and the environment transforms our identity, right down to our DNA.

    Dir. Miri Chekhanovich, Edith Jorisch, Maude Thibodeau, Nicolas S. Roy, Canada, Israel, color, 15 min

• Flow, Dir. Adriaan Lokman
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    Age 10+

    Special Jury Prize, 2023 BFI London Film Festival

    In competition, 2023 Venice International Film Festival

    Flow invites you to surrender to the whims of the wind on a seemingly ordinary day, concealing within its turbulence a captivating night in the life of a woman, portrayed through the dance of air currents.

    The interplay of scents, warmth, respiration, and both natural and artificial gusts of wind, influenced by invisible forces, renders the imperceptible tangible. These atmospheric movements unveil a sequence of events inviting us to follow the woman on her meanderings, plunging us into a realm crafted entirely from air. However, as the storm subsides and the woman awakens from what transpires to have been a dream, her world is no longer the same.

    Dir. Adriaaan Lokman, France, The Netherlands, color, 15 min

• Lou, Dir. Martine Asselin, Annick Daigneault
  • Age 10+

    NY Premiere

    In competition, 2023 SXSW and 2023 Bucheon International Film Festival

    Experience the world with the sensitivity of a person with autism. Learn how to deal with stimuli, crises and moments of fascination by immersing yourself in Lou’s atypical sensory universe.

    There are as many ways to be autistic as there are autistic people. LOU – Kid/Teen lets people experience what it’s like to be an autistic child named Lou, to see and hear through his eyes and ears. Lou is a character inspired by our children and other autistic people we have met. This VR experience is a metaphoric interpretation, based on the life experiences that were shared with us. Several autistic people participated as actors, creators and advisors.

    Thus, the interactivity is lived by the users of the work by entering into Lou’s perceptions. The user will have to interact with other people in places that are sometimes noisy and full of stimuli. The user will also have to manipulate objects and perform everyday actions while being in the body of Lou. Lou is a unique experience that has never been seen before. It is now possible to feel how some people on the Spectrum experience exponentially the sensory load in their daily lives.

    Dir. Martine Asselin, Annick Daigneault, Canada, color, 13 min

• Bloom, Dir. Fabienne Giezendanner, Franck Van Leeuwen
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    International Premiere

    On a hot and dry day, to survive you have no choice but to take refuge in the nearby forest. As you approach an oak tree, the ground becomes transparent under your feet and the bark disappears to give way to the choreography of the oak’s vital flows. It wants to communicate with you…

    Dir. Fabienne Giezendanner, Franck Van Leeuwen, Switzerland, France, color, 16 min