Raindance Immersive
Best Immersive Game
Doctor Who: The Edge of Time (dir: Marcus Moresby, UK) – UK Premiere
Join the Doctor on a mission to save the universe. Doctor Who: The Edge of Time lets fans embark on an adventure through space and time! Travel across the universe, visit alien locations, pilot the TARDIS, and solve the mystery of the controlling force behind the Reality Virus.
No Man’s Sky: BEYOND (dir: Sean Murray, Grant Duncan, Ryan Doyle, David Ream, UK)
No Man’s Sky: BEYOND is a Virtual Reality space exploration game set in a procedurally generated fictional universe. Inspired by the adventure and imagination from classic science-fiction, No Man’s Sky presents you with a galaxy to explore, filled with unique planets and lifeforms, and constant danger and action.
The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets (dir: James Hunt, Sweden) – World Premiere
The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets is an interactive tale of childlike wonder. Help your grandfather solve the mystery of the stolen pets by exploring wonderful miniature worlds, crafted from the ground up for Virtual Reality. Every world is unique, full of interactions and colourful life.
The Infinite Hotel (dir: Kevin Beimers, UK) – World Premiere
The Infinite Hotel is universe’s most luxurious holiday destination, boasting an infinite number of floors, an infinite number of rooms, and an infinite number of things that could go wrong. You’re the elevator operator. Time to get to work.
Best Interactive Narrative Experience
A Box In The Desert (dir: Owen Hindley, Nanna Gunnars, Ástþór Ágústsson, Iceland)
Imagine you find yourself trapped inside an invisible box in an endless desert. A stranger appears telling you that you’re “saved” – but are they speaking the truth? Should you instead trust this voice in your head? Is it actually better to remain in the box, safe from harm? Forever?
INORI (dir:Szu Ming Liu, Kisei Yakahashi, Taiwan) – UK Premiere
In this virtual world, constructed by contemporary artist Miwa Komatsu, mythical creatures guide you through a journey of self-reflection, assertion, and spiritual reincarnation. You will be able to forge a connection with the world around you, as well as with your inner self, bringing blessings from the unreal into your reality.
Ray Sparks (dir: Rafael Pavon, Spain) – World Premiere
Ray is explosive. Ray is electrifying. Ray is restless. But he is also very, very shy. Immerse yourself in a VR fairy tale and play with Ray to gain his trust.
The Line (dir: Ricardo Laganaro, Brasil) – UK Premiere
A full body VR interactive narrative experience about love and fear of change. Set in a scale model of 1940s São Paulo, The Line invites us into the world of Pedro and Rosa, two miniature dolls who are perfect for each other, but reluctant to live out their love story.
Best Cinematic Experience
Afterlife (dir: Luisa Valencia, Canada) – International Premiere
After the tragic death of their five-year-old son, a family struggles with their loss and attempts to mend their frayed bonds. Experience the struggle through the child’s ghostly eyes, exploring a multiverse of different reality paths, as his family acknowledges his absence – or presence – in their lives.
Butterfly Dance (dir: Tan Seng Kiat, Taiwan) – International Premiere
An unknown couple appear in the darkness in a cinema. As a 35mm film is being played, frame by frame, it feels like a love affair is emerging, and only you and the film know the secret of the affair.
Only The Mountain Remains (dir: Chiang Wei Liang, Taiwan) – UK Premiere
At a deserted petrol station at the bottom of a mountain, a man and a woman, both of whom are foreign to the country, are waiting for their contact. When they run into a police patrol, the chase begins.
Operation Othello: I Am Not What I Am (dir: Mary Chieffo, Jeff Liu, Viola Davis, Beth Grant, Josh Nelson, USA) – UK Premiere
Operation Othello presents original Shakespearean text in a way that is accessible and exciting for modern audiences. In the style of Sherlock, Minority Report and How to Get Away With Murder, this action-packed retelling follows events of scandal, intrigue, and betrayal in the perilous world of elite Navy SEALs.
Best Documentary Experience
Ayahuasca: Kosmik Journey (dir: Jan Kounen, France/Luxembourg) – UK Premiere
A visionary experience through the realms of medicinal plants, led by an indigenous Shipibo traditional healer in the Amazon rainforest.
Memoria: Stories of La Garma (dir: Rafael Pavon, Spaik) – International Premiere
16,500 years ago, a group of humans came back to their shelter in Spain after hunting. The entrance had collapsed, leaving everything inside untouched. Narrated by Geraldine Chaplin, this VR experience invites you to explore the memories trapped in the cave, preserved for thousands of years.
Rise of Animals with David Attenborough (dir: Elliot Graves, UK) – World Premiere
Through the power of hand interaction you’ll discover and bring to life some of the first creatures that roamed the earth – all within your own environment. Driven by a voiceover from David Attenborough and using ultra-realistic real-time animation sequences, this powerful Mixed Reality experience is both educational and entertaining.
The Holy City (dir: Nimrod Shanit, Timur Musabay, Israel/Canada) – World Premiere
Transport yourself to the world’s spiritual epicentre in this engaging sensory narrative experience built using stunning photogrammetric scans of Jerusalem. THE HOLY CITY uses a series of challenging interactive games in room-scale environments to help nurture empathy and understanding across the Abrahamic cultures and religions that coinhabit the city.
Best Animated Experience
Battlescar – Punk Was Invented By Girls (dir: Martin Allais, Nico Casavecchia, France) – UK Premiere
1978, New York City. In the cell of a juvenile detention centre, Lupe, a Puerto Rican American sixteen-year-old, meets Debbie. Debbie introduces Lupe to the punk rock scene of the Lower East Side and the secret worlds of Alphabet City. Battlescar is an exploration of identity through immersive VR storytelling.
Glimpse (Preview) (dir: Benjamin Cleary, Michael O’Connor, UK) – UK Premiere
Glimpse is an animated interactive VR experience starring Taron Egerton (Rocketman) and Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody), presented by Mr Kite and directed by Academy Award winning writer/director Benjamin Cleary and VR creator Michael O’Connor. A highly emotive visual feast set in the imaginative mind of a heartbroken panda named Herbie (Egerton) who has recently broken up with his girlfriend Rice (Boynton). Herbie is an illustrator and using his art we delve back through the memories of his relationship from the heartbreaking end to the beautiful beginning. A dreamlike voyage through his mind, his heart and his illustrations.
Gloomy Eyes (dir: Jorge Tereso, Fernando Maldonado, France) – UK Premiere
The sun got tired of humans and decided to never rise again. The darkness awoke the dead from their graves. A zombie kid called Gloomy and a mortal girl called Nena fall in love, forming a deep connection that even the most powerful man cannot destroy. Narrated by Colin Farrell.
Heart of Darkness (dir: Stuart ‘Sutu’ Campbell, Australia) – World Premiere
Inspired by Joseph Conrad’s novel, this sci-fi is set on the dwarf planet Ceres, where Astro-biologist Captain Kurtz has gone missing. Your mission is to find him. As you journey deep into the Ceres cave network you will learn the story of his disappearance via the onboard Artificial Intelligence, Teeva.
Artistic Achievement
Ayahuasca: Kosmik Journey (dir: Jan Kounen, France/Luxembourg) – UK Premiere
Battlescar – Punk Was Invented By Girls (dir: Martin Allais, Nico Casavecchia, France) – UK Premiere
Doctor Who: The Edge of Time (dir: Marcus Moresby, UK) – UK Premiere
Glimpse (Preview) (dir: Benjamin Cleary, Michael O’Connor, UK) – UK Premiere
Gloomy Eyes (dir: Jorge Tereso, Fernando Maldonado, France) – UK Premiere
Heart of Darkness (dir: Stuart ‘Sutu’ Campbell, Australia) – World Premiere
Audio Achievement
Battlescar – Punk Was Invented By Girls (dir: Martin Allais, Nico Casavecchia, France) – UK Premiere
Doctor Who: The Edge of Time (dir: Marcus Moresby, UK) – UK Premiere
Glimpse (Preview) (dir: Benjamin Cleary, Michael O’Connor, UK) – UK Premiere
Gloomy Eyes (dir: Jorge Tereso, Fernando Maldonado, France) – UK Premiere
INORI (dir:Szu Ming Liu, Kisei Yakahashi, Taiwan) – UK Premiere
Operation Othello: I Am Not What I Am (dir: Mary Chieffo, Jeff Liu, Viola Davis, Beth Grant, Josh Nelson, USA) – UK Premiere
British Award: Best UK Experience
Cosmos Within Us (dir: Tupac Martir, UK/Luxembourg) – UK Premiere
We are drawn into the mind of Aiken, a sixty-year-old man suffering from Alzheimer’s. As we wander, his memories shape-shift, as if in a state of constant reconstruction. However, his precious childhood moments feel tainted. Concealed in oblivion, there is one memory he’s trying to forget.
Doctor Who: The Edge of Time (dir: Marcus Moresby, UK) – UK Premiere
Glimpse (Preview) (dir: Benjamin Cleary, Michael O’Connor, UK) – UK Premiere
Rise of Animals with David Attenborough (dir: Elliot Graves, UK) – World Premiere
Through the power of hand interaction you’ll discover and bring to life some of the first creatures that roamed the earth – all within your own environment. Driven by a voiceover from David Attenborough and using ultra-realistic real-time animation sequences, this powerful Mixed Reality experience is both educational and entertaining.
Discovery Award: Best Debut Experience
Anonymous (dir: Samantha Kingston, Mary Matheson, Marisol Grandon, UK) – World Premiere
Anonymous is a 360 narrative film telling the personal tale of the child of an alcoholic. After 28 years, Samantha shares her story of living with an alcohol dependent parent, hiding the secret, and dealing with their death.
Playing God (dir: Ben Fredericks, UK) – World Premiere
An interactive sci-fi drama that forces you to make difficult decisions during a humanitarian crisis. Based on the Spaceship Earth theory, which explores the philosophy of life boat ethics, PLAYING GOD aims to confront audiences with a new take on the global refugee crisis that is affecting society today.
See, Saw – Seen (dir: Paula Canovas del Vas, UK) – World Premiere
See, Saw – Seen is a multi-person, room-scale VR installation that blends fashion with art, aiming to objectify the audience, reversing the traditional roles played by the fashion industry over the past decades. Placed in the centre of attention, the audience experiences first-hand notions of voyeurism and feminism in the context of fashion, whilst discovering the mental universe of Paula Canovas del Vas Spring/Summer 2020 collection.
Afterlife (dir: Luisa Valencia, Canada) – International Premiere
Imagine a story that evolves with you; a narrative that dynamically and imperceptibly adapts across branching storylines. For Signal Space Lab, this vision took form in Afterlife, an interactive film in virtualreality exploring the vastness of grief and love in a family. The film, directed by Luisa Valencia, contributes to the future of interactive narrative filmmaking.
MORE READ HERE:https://www.sundance.org/festivals/sundance-film-festival/program/new-frontier-exhibitions