Dance of the Sun Virtually, Sundance Film Festival

2021-06-30
· Culture

Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival is an American film festival, held annually on January 20 in Park City, Utah. The name Sundance comes from the role of Robert Redford, a mid-sized American actor, in the movie Shoot Towards Tomorrow (1969), a real person, the Sundance Kid. A film festival that values diversity, it also focuses on low-budget independent films and documentaries.

Adhering to the purpose of 'thinking freely and encouraging and nurturing independent films', it carefully selects works and pays little attention to becoming a popular commercial film festival. And after being invited to the Sundance Film Festival, there are many cases where a film moves on to the non-competitive section of the Berlin Film Festival or the Cannes Film Festival and receives international attention.

Above all, it is also an important gateway for new film directors, and large film companies often scout recognized directors and actors here. Minari, a recent film related to Korean immigration, also received the Grand Prize at Sundance. Today, I would like to introduce seven XR contents introduced in the NEW FRONTIER section at the Sundance Film Festival 2021.

New Frontier Division: NEW FRONTIER

A film or media boldly created by groundbreaking artists. It shows a story created through a new fusion of art and cutting-edge technology. With an immersive program, the audience can enter the platform and meet the next level of storytelling techniques.

FORTUNE!

As an AR animated documentary produced by Imposter media, this delightful yet sharp look at reality triggers a conversation about the value society places on money.

From bills to coins, money has no intrinsic value beyond what we collectively agreed upon. However, it cannot be denied that money dominates our material and cultural lives. It runs on the smartphone's OS.

Tree (NAMO)

Created by Baobab Studios, this VR animation follows a man's journey, all the way through a grassy yard that grows into a seedling and eventually into a full-grown tree.

Tree, which means tree, contains meaningful memories in its branches, from pacifiers, stuffed animals, books, favorite scarves, broken glasses, to things the man wanted to forget.

TINKER

Made by Tinker Studios. Making new memories with the people we love shapes us. In this interactive theatrical experience, visitors can think, play and make new memories together as they grow up with their grandfather in his workshop.

TINKER is an emotional journey with live performers bringing grandfather to life, and every moment becomes a story the viewer creates. It is a VR play using an Oculus headset.

TO MISS THE ENDING

What will happen to our continuously digitized world? No air to breathe, no river to swim, no park to roam? This breathtaking immersive experience uploads our own memories to an automated AI cloud server.

Fast-forward to a future where reconnecting with loved ones on the vast internet is the best option. Where will life take place in a digitized world? What is the value of memories?

NIGHTSSS

Produced by a Polish creative group called VR Noccc, this sensual poem combines animation, natural scenery, character choreography and rhythmic ASMR sound structures to immerse participants in a sensory experience of poetry, dance and unity with nature.

Based on a poem by Weronika Lewandowska, Nightsss uses native sounds of the Polish language to create an onomatopoeic landscape that transcends language barriers. Before donning the VR headset, it is recommended to put on your favorite shirt and turn on the fan to activate the flow of emotions and sensations.

THE CHANGING SAME: EPISODE 1

Created by New York-based Scatter studios, this immersive, episodic experience uses time travel and magical realism to pilgrimage through the evolution of racial violence in America, drawing a vital link between the past and the present. make

Episode 1 introduces the time travel portal Cracker House and begins with a police brawl in a quiet suburb of present-day New Jersey. A police debate leads to mass incarceration and a slave warehouse, plunging toward a vast post-racist utopia.

PRISON X – CHAPTER 1 : THE DEVIL AND THE SUN

A creative group called prisonx.red created this VR immersive experience. At the velvet curtain gateway between theater and experience, eccentric new Jaguars greet visitors. The mysterious god casts the viewer as Inti, a man who dreams of becoming a young drug lord who ends up in prison.

Prison X is an immersive Andean mythological drama that sweeps you into a maze-like Bolivian prison where you can coexist with demons, saints, corrupt prison guards and even western filmmakers.

concluding remarks

It seems that world-class content does not just come out. Giving opportunities to creators can be a driving force to move on to a greater path or achieve a greater dream. I hope there will be more programs to support artists, not just XR media artists.