Just like most other large scale events around the world, the annual Tribeca Film Festival has had to shutter its physical operations which usually take place in New York City during April. The event will still be providing select programming online including Tribeca Immersive’s Cinema360, with a range of virtual reality (VR) content being shown in partnership with Oculus.
For what would have been the festivals 19th event, its Cinema360 programme will present 15 films via Oculus TV, Oculus Go and Oculus Quest from 17th to 25th April. These will be curated into four 30-40 minute programs for you to watch at home, one of the first festivals to provide such a service, continuing to support filmmakers and creators worldwide.
Selections range from science fiction and horror to romance and comedy, with 10 of the 15 creators making their global premiere during the festival run. Additionally, Oculus will be releasing 2019 Tribeca Storyscapes Award winner The Key as an app for Oculus Rift/Rift S and Oculus Quest. Created by Celine Tricart, was The Key was made in conjunction with Friends of Refugees and Oculus VR For Good.
The 15 Tribeca Immersive Cinema360 films are:
- Tale of the Tibetan Nomad
- Upstander
- Attack on Daddy
- Lutaw
- Home
- The Inhabited House
- Ferenj: A Graphic Memoir in VR
- Black Bag
- The Pantheon of Queer Mythology
- Saturnism
- A Safe Guide to Dying
- Rain Fruits
- Forgotten Kiss
- Dear Lizzy
- 1st Step
“Now, more than ever, we are feeling incredibly isolated from one another,” said Loren Hammonds, Senior Programmer of Film & Immersive, in a statement. “The XR community is very much a global community, as evidenced by this program which features work from China, South Korea, Spain and Ethiopia, just to name a few. It’s my hope that by providing these remarkable 360 films to a global audience during this trying time, we can do our part to bring people back together in the name of great art and shared perspectives.”
“As human beings, we are navigating uncharted waters,” adds Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival Co-Founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal. “While we cannot gather in-person to lock arms, laugh, and cry, it’s important for us to stay socially and spiritually connected. Tribeca is about resiliency, and we fiercely believe in the power of artists to bring us together. We were founded after the devastation of 9/11 and it’s in our DNA to bring communities together through the arts.”
Also, today is the launch of the Tribeca X Awards. All the finalists from Adidas, Adorama, Dior, Dove, Hewlett Packard, Kelly Services, Lime, Procter & Gamble, Red Bull, Square, Synchrony Bank, and Volvo Car UK are available to view via Tribeca’s website.
For further coverage of the Tribeca Film Festival, keep reading VRFocus.