On the occasion of its next PLUGS programme, the Geneva International Film Festival // GIFF is connecting for the second time to the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (6 - 14 July 2018) // NIFFF for The Virtual Psycho Pagoda programme. In collaboration with the NIFFF, this original programme consists of 5 works in virtual reality (VR) and one video, all exploring Asian cinema.
AN OBITUARY
Jean Yoon, Republic of Korea, 2017
SWISS PREMIERE
A young man travels alone deep into the countryside to pay his respects after hearing of a friend’s untimely death. Upon his arrival, he finds himself to be the sole mourner at the funeral. Alone in the countryside, save for the elderly mother of his deceased friend, he begins to wonder why they seem to be the only two people left in the village.
BLOODLESS
Gina Kim, Republic of Korea, USA, 2017
Since the 1950s, American soldiers have stationed at Dongducheon Camptown in South Korea. A powerfully realistic and raw VR experience that retraces the last living moments of a brutally murdered sex worker, and looks back at the violence perpetrated with impunity by these soldiers.
HELP ME
You Tae-Kyung, Republic of Korea, 2018
WORLD PREMIERE
On rainy nights, a woman living alone hears the noises of someone knocking at her door, asking for help. Her neighbors tell her about the woman who used to live in her apartment. One night, she finally decides to open the door…
HYPER-REALITY
Keiichi Matsuda, Colombia, 2016
SWISS PREMIERE
In a city saturated with immersive media that has become an integral part of our lives, just like the public spaces and buildings that surround us, physical and virtual realities have merged. A provocative and kaleidoscopic vision of the future, where play merges with life, and technologies define our relationship to the world.
Yu Hong, ’She’s Already Gone’, Virtual Reality artwork, 2017. Courtesy of Yu Hong and Khora Contemporary.
SHE’S ALREADY GONE
Yu Hong, China, Denmark, 2017
SWISS PREMIERE
Directed by Chinese artist Yu Hong, this VR experience places the viewer in the middle of four scenes, that travel through the life of a female character from her birth to her old age. The narrative follows differing timelines: as the life and aging of the protagonist moves forward, History goes backwards.
YOUR SPIRITUAL TEMPLE SUCKS
John Hsu, Taïwan, 2018
Mr. Chang arrives to his “Spiritual Temple”, a place symbolic of one’s destiny in the afterworld. To solve his marital crisis and financial problems, he summons his guardian – The Thunder God. They both attempt to tidy his life, which turns out to be a big mistake… with hilarious consequences.