Red Sea Film Festival: Is VR the future of storytelling?

Immersive storytelling is still in its infancy. But already, it questions the limits usually encountered in our way of telling stories. “Space, sensations, interactivity… This new approach made possible by both hardware and software innovation offers new and unlimited possibilities and brings a breath of fresh air to storytelling as we know it”, explains Liz Rosenthal, curator of the “VR zone” of the Red Sea International Film Festival, a role she also plays at the Venice Film Festival and the Venice Art Biennale. 

 

For all tastes 

 

In total, 10 different adventures are available to try, lasting from a few minutes to more than an hour. Some, like the Turkish “Elele” are more focused on the sensory experience and the demonstration of what the technology allows, especially on the motion capture, with a bluffing modeling of the user’s hands. Others, like “The Kingdom of Plants”, directed by Iona McEwan, and narrated by none other than David Attenborough, turn our perspectives upside down by making us discover the hidden face of the plant world through a point of view at its own scale. In fact, no two experiences are alike. There really is something for everyone. 

Relatively young everywhere in the world, VR is also young in Saudi Arabia, where it is primarily aimed at a rather young audience, interested in the gaming world. But through the prism of the Red Sea Film Festival, the field of possibilities is widening, and the potential of the technologies on display in the film industry seems very promising, judging by the interest shown by professionals in the field in the famous “VR Zone”.