For its 74th edition, the Venice International Film Festival is launching Venice VR, its first competition of virtual reality works. French films represent the second strongest contingent of works presented.
August 31 will see the launch of the Venice VR competitive program, an innovation that makes the Venice International Film Festival the first cinematographic event to open itself up, on such a scale, to new modes.
And with seven VR films selected (four of which are in Competition), French virtual reality is in startlingly rude health.
Besides such crowdpleasers as the multi-award-winning S.E.N.S VR, Nothing Happens, and Proxima – whose very first images had been shown during the Content Meets IT day at this year's Berlinale – festival-goers will be able to (re)discover the latest production from Okio-Studio, Alteration – which drew attention earlier this year at Tribeca. Each new VR production helmed by Okio is an event, and last year the studio won renown for the unmissable I, Philip.
But the major revelation of Venice VR is sure to be Alice, the Virtual Reality Play. Presented discreetly in May at Cannes, the test version of the experience caused quite a buzz on the Croisette. After Venice, the interactive work by Marie Jourdren and Mathias Chelebourg will continue its international career with support from UniFrance.
Three awards will be presented at the end of the Competition. The Venice VR jury is presided over by the American filmmaker John Landis and includes among its members the director and screenwriter Céline Sciamma.
Alongside the creators who'll accompany their works, the presence on the Lido of sales agents MK2, Wide & Diversion cinema testifies to the enthusiasm generated by VR.
Two French VR productions in development will also benefit from a showcase within the Biennale College Cinema program, while three others will be presented at the Venice Gap-Financing Market – these will include immersive projects conceived by Jan Kounen and Rithy Panh.
The selection of French films in Venice VR
- I Saw the Future - VR by François Vautier (photo)
- On/Off by Isabelle Foucrier, Camille Duvelleroy
- Alice, the Virtual Reality Play by Marie Jourdren, Mathias Chelebourg
- Alteration by Jérôme Blanquet
- Nothing Happens by Michelle Kranot, Uri Kranot
- Proxima by Mathieu Pradat
- S.E.N.S VR by Armand Lemarchand, Charles Ayats
The complete program can be found here.
