O [5x1]

A brazier flickers to life in a dark space. A visibly exhausted man enters, busy with a phone conversation. We can't hear what he says, yet his dismay is tangible. He sits down on a large black rock to rest, starting a mysterious ritual.

So starts this VR work that is part of [5x1], five unrelated VR projects that HTC Vive commissioned from talented Chinese and Taiwanese makers. The Making of [5x1] by Midi Z, which will also be screened at IFFR, is another. Chinese director Qiu Yang made his name as a filmmaker with his short film A Gentle Night, for which he won a Golden Palm in 2017 at the Cannes film festival. He recruited French performance artist Olivier de Sagazan for his first VR venture. Their collaboration has created an intriguing work that juxtaposes centuries-old traditions and primal forces with contemporary haste and technology.

Part of Voices Main Programme: Virtual Reality.