The Veldt VR Studio 2018
EXPLORE VR WITH TFF
FILMS
The works we have selected allow the viewer to experience both sensory wonder and empathy in ways that only VR can provide.
1. High Desert Eclipse US | 6 MIN | 2018 Julia Jackson, Larry James
Filmed from a majestic hilltop overlook in the remote Oregon high desert during the American eclipse of August 21, 2017. This short spans totality during which the rapidly encroaching shadow of the moon turns day into twilight.
2. Potato Dreams US | 6 MIN | 2017 | Wes Hurley
Russian mother and son narrate this documentary which traces their nightmarish past in the USSR. Told through striking reenactment tableaus, the experience follows young Elena as she becomes a mailorder-bride to insure that her gay son, Potato, has a brighter future in the US.
3. Maiden Flight US | 3 MIN | 2018 Julia Jackson, Larry James
While launching into the heavens on a balloon ride’s experimental flight, you find yourself overlooking a wondrous land calling out to be explored. Created by UpliftVR.
4. Swampscapes US | 13 MIN | Kim Grinfeder, Elizabeth Miller, Juan Carlos Zaldivar
An immersive journey to remote regions of the Everglades, one of the most diverse swamps in the world. From the tree tops of urban swamps to the pristine sloughs of the Fakahatchee, discover with passionate protectors of Florida’s wetlands.
5. Dinner Party US | 13 MIN | 2018 Angel Manuel Soto
A 3D virtual reality experience based on the true story of Betty and Barney Hill, an interracial couple who in 1961 reported the first nationally known UFO abduction. The film takes viewers on an immersive and intimate journey through the supernatural events.
6. WE’RE STILL HERE US | 5 MIN | 2018 | JESSE AYALA
Aiden Crawford, a Two-Spirit artist and historian in Boise, Idaho, struggles to preserve and revive his heritage in an intergenerational struggle to learn, educate, and pass down the wisdom of his First Nations Two Spirit elders.
7. ++ We Will Love You For Ever US | 17 MIN | 2017 | Evan Meaney
An interactive, experimental virtual reality artwork. It is a disappointment simulator, a best-artist-ever-all-the-time artist simulator, a hospice simulator. The experience speaks to the art making process, impostor syndrome, decay, archives on the moon, and a persistent exile.
8. Biidaaban:First Light CANADA | 2018 | 7 MIN | Lisa Jackson
Rooted in Indigenous futurism, Biidaaban is an interactive time-jump into a highly realistic—and radically different—Toronto of tomorrow. As users explore this altered city now reclaimed by nature, they must think about their place in history and ultimately their role in the future.
9. The Crew US | 7 MIN | 2017 | Johan Anderson
A Filipino cruise ship cleaner finally gets a chance to perform an opera aria in the crew talent show, but when the show is cancelled he still finds a way to sing.
10. Arcadia Flats US | 2018 | Joe Jacobs
Arcadia Flats is a cinematic 360 experience that follows Alice (Jessica Martin) as she attempts to outrun supernatural forces. Ivan (Evan Mosher) comes across her car on a dark, deserted road. Will either of them survive the night?
Established at TFF in 2016, the Veldt VR studio explores a new frontier of cinema - what questions and opportunities does virtual reality offer?
In naming The Veldt we were inspired by Ray Bradbury's classic story of two children who explore the mystery of a virtual African plain. Bradbury foresaw that entertainment technology could hold both amazing promise and unforeseen consequences.
As a festival obsessed with the interaction of film, literature, and media, we wanted our VR project to evoke the wonder and anxiety that Bradbury captured over 65 years ago.
