THE BEST OF SWISS VIRTUAL REALITY ON SHOW AT THE FESTIVAL DE CANNES

In the context of its PLUGS Programme, the Geneva International Film Festival Tous Ecrans in association with the Swiss Digital Alliance, is delighted to present won of the most prominent and innovative Swiss virtual reality projects at the NEXT Pavilion of The Festival de Cannes, 17-21 May 2017.

With the support of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, the third edition of Beyond Cinema : the Swiss Digital Showcase programme provides an opportunity for professionals attending the festival  to be immersed in the off beat adventures of an improvised magician, with Break a Leg (apelab), and to experience afterlife guided by an Aztec shaman with Ximoan (HEAD-Genève).

Both VR works together with the work of Kenzan Sudios, an award-winning VR Swiss company, are showcased on Saturday 20 May, from noon to 1pm, at the conference room of the NEXT Pavilion.

For the second time, and thanks to the support of Engagement Migros, a Match-Making session complements the Beyond Cinema programme to help Swiss creators present at Cannes to meet with potential investors.

The programme in short
Beyond Cinema: the Swiss Digital Showcase at the NEXT Pavilion

Exhibition, from 17 May to 21 May / from 9am to 6pm
Showcase Saturday 20 May / from 12pm to 1pm
Match-Making, from 19 May to 21 May (by appointment*)

*Break a Leg, Ximoan and Kenzan Studios – To set up a meeting contact Marie Mayoly: mm@tous-ecrans.com

For more information, please contact: Paola Gazzani Marinelli, Head of Digital and Professional Programmes of the Festival, paola.gazzani@tous-ecrans.com

Overview of the works

Break a Leg (apelab)

Break a Leg
 is an interactive installation and experience getting its inspiration from the magic shows of the 19th Century such as Houdini and Kellar. Built to entertain the crowds based on tricking the mind through misdirection and routine, the conjurers obeyed drastic rules to fool the mind of the audience. Break a Leg immerses you in the offbeat adventures of an improvised magician who will have to go through multiple stages of a conjurer’s performance without missing a beat. Break a Leg is a VR work of the Geneva start-up apelab.

Ximoan (HEAD-Genève)

©HEAD_MichelGiesbrecht

Ximoan is a collaborative experience based on the Aztec mythology. It invites an player to lie down and experience his travel in the afterlife, while the other embodies a shaman. Stuck in hell, the deceased explores a virtual world to get to heaven. His virtual trip will depend entirely on the skill of the shaman who, unlike the deceased, is in the real world. He must play an ancient Aztec instrument and depending on how well he follows the indicated rhythm, the expe- rience of the deceased will change.

Kenzan Studios
Kenzan Studios is an award-winning Geneva based company focused on creative content aimed at delighting consumers and helping businesses grow their customer base. Their expertise has earned Kenzan Studios awards at Los Angeles’ SIGGRAPH 2015, the VR Hollywood Summit in 2016 and a recent grant from Epic Games, for “outstanding work”. Kenzan delivers complete original virtual reality environments and characters, along with animations, visual effects and dedicated user interfaces.