Today (24 September) the 2021 Kaohsiung Film Festival (KFF) unveils the full line-up of the “XR-Panorama” program. “Le Bal de Paris de Blanca Li”, which just received the Best VR Experience Award at the Venice Film Festival, is scheduled to have its Asian premiere at the KFF. “Scarecrow VRC,” which features the “VR Live Performance ” that brings the Korean actors and audiences together in the VR world, will demonstrate the capacity of VR theater technology of transcending space, which allow audiences to interact with the actors. To break down the barriers of countries, the KFF has launched the “VR Headset Rental Package“ to make VR experience more accessible to cater to VR fans all over Taiwan. XR Dreamland of the KFF will take place from 15 October to 31 October at the Online Virtual Exhibition. “Kaohsiung VR FILM LAB Originals,” “VR Competition” and “XR-Panorama” will screen 33 XR works in total. The audience across Taiwan can borrow VR devices from the KFF and log in to the virtual world with one click.
☟ Ticketing Site of XR Dreamland☟
↪Log in to XR Dreamland Virtual, VR Headset Rental Package
☟ XR Dreamland Brochure ☟
☟ 2021 Kaohsiung Film Festival ☟
A total of 6 works of immersive experience have been selected for this year’s “XR-Panorama,” challenging the boundaries of the audience’s immersive sensory perception with the unique and forward-looking selection. “Le Bal de Paris de Blanca Li,” which will be Asia premiere, just received the Best VR Experience Award at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. The fashion brand CHANEL designed the wardrobe of the whole VR world. The audience will be dressed in luxurious custom-made gowns and take part in a gorgeous cabaret like “The Great Gatsby” and “Moulin Rouge.” The VR production for limited reservation “Scarecrow VRC” is an VR Live Performance from Korea. It makes use of motion capture and technology to allow the audience to perform with the actors. The actors can connect with audiences from around the world in real time and embark on a fantasy adventure. The immersive audio experience series “Darkfield Radio – ETERNAL” and ” Darkfield Radio – VISITORS” use precise 360-degree surround sound design and theatrical techniques to turn the familiar surroundings of the audience into a part of the production. The audience can listen through both ears and leap into the unpredictable fantasy world. The interactive VR work “The Jellyfish” is full of childlike elements. The audience will dive into the dreamy underwater world and join a cross-species interactive experimental concert in real time.
The KFF has long been collaborating with the NewImages Film Festival in France and Alliance Française de Taipei in the XR industry, providing resources such as artist residencies and bilateral exchanges of works between the two countries. “The Guardians of Jade Mountain” is the prototype of Korean director KWON Hayoun. The director was chosen to visit Kaohsiung for a residency during his stay in France. He used traditional shadow puppetry techniques and worked with Taiwanese artist JHAN Bo-Jyun to tell a story of a sincere friendship during the Japanese rule of Taiwan through VR animation. “Eliza” is also a prototype. The audience can experience the interactive dialogues on artificial intelligence like the movie “Her,” which helps AI understand the complexity of human love.
To promote the section of immersive images “XR Dreamland,” the KFF has launched the “Online Virtual Exhibition” and the “VR Headset Rental Package.” The “Online Virtual Exhibition” is a 360-degree panoramic interactive virtual space where audiences can log into the virtual exhibition through their computers or VR devices and join visitors from all over the world to watch the exhibition, chat and socialize, and engage in free egg hunts in the space! In view of the low penetration of VR devices in Taiwan, the “VR Headset Rental Package” provides rental services for audiences across Taiwan, lowering the costs and operational threshold through film festival events, and bringing virtual reality closer to audiences.
The 2021 Kaohsiung Film Festival will take place from 15 October to 31 October. Tickets will be available in person or online from 12:00 on October 2. To cater to movie fans all over Taiwan, in addition to the physical screening of some of the films, the KFF will also collaborate with an international online platform to create the “Online Virtual Exhibition,” an online film festival and a program of immersive theater “XR Dreamland.” Fans can enjoy the films of this year’s KFF at home with just one click! The program and the events will be announced soon. Please follow the KFF official website , Instagram and Facebook for the most updated information.
2021 Kaohsiung Film Festival XR Dreamland – XR Panorama
International Selection
- Le Bal de Paris de Blanca Li / Blanca LI／France, Luxembourg, Germany
- Scarecrow VRC / JUNG Jihyun, LEE Sngmoo／Korea
- Darkfield Radio – VISITORS, Darkfield Radio – ETERNAL / David ROSENBERG, Glen NEATH／UK
- The Jellyfish / Mélodie MOUSSET, Edo FOUILLOUX／ Switzerland
- ELIZA / Léa DUCRÉ / France (Prototype)
- The Guardians of Jade Mountain / KWON Hayoun／France, Taiwan (Prototype)