VR program at 21st Animateka
This year’s VR competition presents a collection of immersive experiences that push the boundaries of animation, narrative, and the role of the viewer. Each work in this selection blends innovation and emotion, inviting us to actively engage with deeply personal, fantastical, and often poignant stories. Through these experiences, the audience is not just a passive observer but an integral part of the unfolding narrative, navigating complex emotional landscapes and exploring intricate worlds.
This line-up of VR experiences offers not only artistic innovation but also profound insight into the human condition. From the deeply personal to the fantastical, these works expand our understanding of animated storytelling, creating a space for emotional and intellectual reflection in a way only immersive technology can offer. Through their distinctive visions, these creators push the boundaries of both animation and VR, inviting audiences to explore new dimensions of empathy, identity, and existence.
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This year, the following projects will be on display:
Ito Meikyu
Boris Labbe (Sacrebleu Productions/Les Films Fauves/Parangon)
France, Luxembourg, 2024, 20’
Interior and exterior, transparency and opacity, exhibitionism and voyeurism, feminine and masculine; all these notions oppose or unite in the infinite cycle of a labyrinth with no exit. Life here is like a loom whose living weft is woven from a myriad of branching threads and paths.
Nana Lou / Mamie Lou
Isabelle Andreani (Small Creative/Skill Lab/France tv StoryLab)
France, Luxembourg, 2024, 30’
Nana Lou is a VR interactive animated short film inviting the viewer to play a spirit accompanying a grandmother during her last moments, a fantastic journey through the Tree of life between the present at the hospital and colorful memories.
Murmuration
Patricia Bergeron (Patricia Bergeron/Ghassan Fayad)
Canada, 2023, 19’
Meet Kanope, a young Nigerian on his way to Europe. In a clever tale between fable and dream, Kanope draws us into his hopeful journey. Inspired by real-life stories, the narrative is told by minor migrants who arrived in Sicily between 2015 and 2020. A shocking dive into humanity.
Music by Femi Kuti.
The Imaginary Friend
Steye Hallema (Studio Biarritz/Submarine Channel/Cassette for timescapes)
Netherlands, Belgium, 2023, 28’
A young child with a vivid imagination struggles to make sense of the world around him, he needs YOU–his imaginary friend–to help him navigate his feelings.
The Tenement House
Wiola Sowa (Art Department Pedagogical University Krakow)
Poland, 2024, 6’
The story of a tenement house, which the narrator sees from the windows of her apartment, interpreted with a drawing animation illustrating various languages of communication.
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You can find more details about the program here.
Novice
