september 7 — 10, 2023
AT /SAC @ MALMAISON
OPENING: september 7, 18:00 — 22:00
Schedule: september 8, 9, 10, 14:00 — 17:00 and 18:00 — 21:00
Co-organised by /SAC @ MALMAISON
Supported by Conceptual Lab by Theo Nissim
Programmers: Alex Radu, Cristian Pascariu, Laurențiu Paraschiv
Curator: Alex Radu
VR Technical Implementation: Marius Cătălin Hodea
Coordinator: Cristian Pascariu
BIDFF VR '23 CLUSTERS redefines the boundaries between reality and fiction, control and autonomy. In a world where the sun chooses to hide, where gravity is irrelevant, fundamental questions about the nature of existence and the connections between us arise. Fairy tales and legends find echoes in contemporary reality, opening a dialogue between old and new, tradition and modernity.
You will explore the frail intersections between personal choice and external pressures, testing the resilience of the spirit in the face of societal challenges. A veil of history and nostalgia will cloud your footsteps as memories and testimonies from Taiwan reverberate in your consciousness.
Exploring the universe of clusters, you will navigate through a dynamic, interactive space where connections and intersections shape the human narrative through VR technology.
ADMISSION RULES
On the opening night, on September 7, 2023, access is possible only by invitation or with a press accreditation. On September 8, 9 and 10, 2023, the general public can visit the exhibition by purchasing a ticket.
An experience lasts 1h20min, during which the visitor can choose which works he wants to explore. The ticket is purchased specifically for the time interval in which the spectator visits the exhibition.
The maximum number of participants in a time interval is 10 people.
The visitors will be assisted throughout the VR experiences by the technical staff and the BIDFF volunteers.
GLOOMY EYES
30’, 2019, FR/AG/TW/US
D: Fernando Maldonado, Jorge Tereso
When the sun got tired of humans and decided to hide and never rise again, darkness awoke the dead from their graves. Since then, the clash between man and zombie sets the pace of daily life. Narrated by Colin Farrell, Gloomy Eyes is an emotional tale where fantastical animated dioramas twist and rotate around you. Chase the nostalgic and heartwarming story of a zombie boy, Gloomy, and a human girl, Nena, that dare to play with love. Their star-crossed love might just be the last seed of hope.
Festivals & AWARDS
Gloomy Eyes premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019 and was awarded Best VR experience at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the Jury Award for Storytelling at SXSW that same year.
About the directors
Jorge Tereso is a director and digital artist from Buenos Aires. His work ranges from playful and lysergic animations to realistic virtual reality experiences and interactive installations. He joined the studio 3dar in 2004 and created its first award-winning short film, Shave It. His passions also include illustration, storytelling, and projection mapping.
Fernando Maldonado was born in San Juan, Argentina. He graduated from the Universidad Nacional de San Juan, and he trained in 3-D animation. He works as director of animation at 3dar. He co-directed Shave It (2013) with Jorge Tereso, and it screened at many international festivals, including the Anima Mundi Festival.
GRAVITY VR
14’, 2020, BR
D: Fabito Rychter, Amir Admoni
Gravity VR takes place in a surreal world with no ground beneath your feet. Everything that exists is forever falling. Houses, clothes, cars... Everything just falls. And the player too. But there is no vertigo or fear. The feeling is like floating in zero gravity. At this place you meet two old brothers living a surprisingly ordinary life. Seems like nothing in this chaotic world would disturb their lonely and slow routine. Until one day...
Festivals & AWARDS
Gravity VR was among the six finalists for the Positron Visionary Award for Excellence in Immersive Storytelling at Cannes XR 2020 and was also selected for the Venice and Tribeca film festivals.
About the director
Fabito Rychter is a TV writer. He has written more than 40 sitcom episodes over 15 years and has seven years of experience writing skits, as well as shorts and plays. He has partnered with Amir Admoni on the award-winning short films Linear, Gravity and the Mario, a Marionete series. In 2016 he started DeliriumXR, a VR production company in Lima, Peru.
Amir Admoni is a Brazilian multi-media visual artist born in 1977 in São Paulo. His works combine animation, video and design. His animated short movie Linear won 80 awards and was screened in over 140 festivals. Gravity VR is his first work with virtual reality.
REIMAGINED VOLUME I: NYSSA
15’, 2022, US
D: Julie Cavaliere
Inspired by the Brothers Grimm folktale A Tale of the Boy Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was, the story follows Nyssa, a fearless yet naive young witch who leaves her whimsical village in order to find her best friend, a toy broom named… Broom. On the way, she meets a familiar spirit, Blue and together they travel into the depths of the dark migration. Can Nyssa learn the meaning of fear and intuition in time to save her village?
Festivals & AWARDS
Reimagined Volume I: Nyssa premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
About the director
Julie Cavaliere is an award winning writer, actor, director, and producer based in New York City. She began her career working for Scott Rudin productions, and later served as head of development for the boutique production company, M.E.G.A.Films. After years of honing her skills in several areas of the entertainment industry, she has recently launched her own production company, Very Cavaliere Productions which is dedicated to telling stories centered around the human experience from unique, often overlooked points of view.
THE CHOICE
25’, 2021, CA/PL
D: Joanne Popińska
Debate about reproductive rights is often heated. But behind every family planning decision there is a human story. Using volumetric capture technology and creative design, this film lets us see from a different perspective the emotional and complex nature behind one woman’s Choice. In this unique VR documentary viewers will meet Kristen, a young Native American woman from Austin, TX who dreams of raising a family but instead finds herself facing a painful system that forces women into dehumanizing situations just to survive.
Festivals & AWARDS
The Choice won the Audience Award at the 2022 SXSW and was selected at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and the BFI London Film Festival.
About the directors
Joanne Popińska is a Polish-Canadian XR director and producer. She is a co-founder of Infinite Frame Media, a documentarian, and sociologist, with a Ph.D. in Film Directing (specialization: VR) from the Polish National Film School. She dedicates her creative vision to developing meaningful conversations around complex topics such as human rights, animal rights, and the environment. By using the latest technology and various narrative techniques, she is continually exploring how to get audiences' attention and how to evoke empathy and interest from different perspectives.
THE MAN WHO COULDN’T LEAVE
35’, 2022, TW-TPE
D: Singing Chen
Within the walls of the former Green Island prison, political detainee A-Kuen, tells the stories of imprisonment and persecution that happened in the 1950s in Taiwan. Among fellow inmates, frozen in time, he recounts his own experiences and those of his friend, A-Ching, who never made it out. Experience the time and place, and the waiting, in hope, for a chance to keep the stories alive.
The Man Who Couldn’t Leave integrates the stories of numerous political victims of the White Terror and is told through the form of an undelivered family letter. An immersive VR experience of hope, fear and camaraderie.
Festivals & AWARDS
The Man Who Couldn’t Leave was awarded last year in both the Venice and Kaohsiung film festivals and received a special distinction at the NewImages Festival in Paris in 2023.
About the director
Singing Chen’s work encompasses fiction, documentary and VR films and has received numerous festival accolades. Her collective work is marked by a deep empathy for disenfranchised characters and a strong sense of social justice.