Monday, 15th of May – Sunday, 21st of May
Monday-Friday: 17–22, Saturday–Sunday: 12–18
Teatr Dramatyczny
(entrance through the foyer next to Cafe Kulturalna)
MDAG and the Dramatyczny Theatre invite you to a special event accompanying the festival’s anniversary edition. Looking at the burning issues of today – mental health, climate change, racism, colonialism and dialogue with tradition – we present a collection of award-winning VR experiences by both Polish and foreign creators. Many of them will be presented in Poland for the first time.
The VR experiences are available in English. Due to the limited capacity, registration is required at: VRzapisy@againstgravity.pl. Admission is free of charge. For more information, visit the festival centre at Kinoteka.
The sponsor of the exhibition is Visa. Its partners are the National Film Board of Canada and vnLab Visual Narrative Lab. Showtime VR is in charge of technical support.
Control Negative
Poland, by: Monika Masłoń
This interactive installation invites viewers to learn about the mechanisms of illusion and train their lack of control and influence. The unreal world of the experience – a negative version of the real world – serves as a training room for getting to know oneself better.
Goliath. Playing with Reality
UK, by: Anagram Studio
A spectacular animation from the Anagram studio. Narrated by Tilda Swinton, it tells the story of a man who, having spent years in isolation during his schizophrenia treatment, finds strength in the gaming community. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize the Best VR Work at the Venice Film Festival.
In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats
UK, by: Darren Emmerson
This spectacular interactive VR documentary takes viewers back to 1989. Surrounded by the sounds of acid house, they are challenged to find an illegal rave and avoid any police encounters. Winner of the DocLab Award for Immersive Non-Fiction at the IDFA festival in Amsterdam.
Myriad. Where we connect
Germany, by: Lena Thiele, Sebastian Baurmann, Dirk Hoffmann
An interactive documentary about animal migration in the age of the Anthropocene. It tells the story of the endangered Ibis species' reintroduction from the Vienna Zoo to the wild, where the fledglings bond with human caretakers who guide them on their long journey across the Alps.
Pilot 9/11
Poland, by: Norman Leto
The author of this VR experience presents the September 11 attacks from a unique perspective of the military aviators who followed the hijacked passenger planes to prevent the tragedy. Pre-release screening.
Plastisapiens
Canada, Israel, by: Miri Chekhanovich, Edith Jorisch
This eco-fiction takes the viewers into a world where every element is permeated with microplastic. With detachment and irony, the experience encourages us to push away our ecological concerns and fears about the future, surrendering to a delightful universe where we are all creatures composed of plastic.
This Is Not a Ceremony
Canada, by: Ahnahktsipiitaa (Colin Van Loon)
The author of this VR experience gives voice to Indigenous people who discover the dark side of Canadian history in a reality subordinated to matriarchy. Dreamy panoramas and stories of systemic racism and colonial injustice combine in a non-linear narrative while the audience witness the crimes.
