The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) announced the launch of a $80,000 AUD Extended Reality (XR) Commission to mark 70 years of the festival’s operations after launching in 1952.
One of the MIFF’s top supporters, Ling Ang, has facilitated the philanthropic grant to build an XR-based immersive experience to commemorate the history and society of Australia’s cultural capital.
LAUNCHED! https://t.co/X3A91i3ouy pic.twitter.com/m2Gq6pcVu9
— Ling Ang (@lingangtweets) October 21, 2021
The Commission will open in 2022 on the MIFF XR platform after roughly five years of showcasing VR programmes at the festival, signalling a major rebrand of the division.
The MIFF XR platform is currently free to access to non-VR devices to boost access to attendees amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has fuelled demand for VR and AR solutions globally.
Attendees visiting the platform can gather on a virtual Swanston Street – Melbourne’s busiest thoroughfare, public tram street, and commercial centre – and join a digital version of The Capitol Theatre at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, one of the MIFF’s top historic venues for hosting the event.
Speaking further in a statement, Ling Ang said,
“With the inaugural MIFF XR Commission, I hope to encourage more artists to tell stories within the virtual space. I want to help artists build a new collective language of storytelling – to tell histories from a new perspective, and to explore the challenges of today’s world in new ways”
She added she was excited to support the MIFF’s XR development efforts, which aims to keep Australian content creators “in dialogue” with global peers and challenge audiences “in new and exciting ways.”
Australian artists can submit their works across disciplines such as digital media, filmmaking, visual art, theatre, and game development.
Submissions are open for our first ever XR Commission. We’re calling Australian artists from all disciplines, whether it be filmmaking, digital media, game development, visual art or theatre. Find out more: https://t.co/It0S8XVbsI pic.twitter.com/GY4OJhsxOt
— Melbourne Film Fest (@MIFFofficial) October 21, 2021
MIFF XR Programmers will assess all applications and shortlist projects, with the winning title being featured at the 70th anniversary event from August 4 to 21 next year. A panel of judges from the MIFF Artistic Director, XR Programmers, and Ling Ang will also select the shortlist.
According to the organisation, application submissions will open on October 21 and close on November 18, with shortlisted applicants receiving notifications on November 25.
XR in the Media and Filmmaking Industry
News of the developing XR Commission comes amid a massive rise of XR technologies showcased in cinema, media, and filmmaking, indicating a surge in interest as a medium for the industry.
London’s Realities Centre, which works across the XR industry for content creators, firms, and organisations, announced on Wednesday it would host its second annual XR Art Fest in late November.
Gary Yost, Veteran Filmmaker and Director of the WisdomVR Project, spoke to XR Today about the rise of XR technologies such as stereoscopic 360-degree filmmaking, which created a deeper connection between audiences and curated work, and his Emmy-nominated ‘Inside COVID-19’ film.
British artist Mat Collishaw also unveiled his BEDLAM XR immersive experience in late-August at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, which combined Metaverse technologies with interactive participation from audiences in his suspenseful masterpiece.
The James Bond series also saw a major collaboration with Facebook for the premiere of ‘No Time to Die’, which debuted on the US tech giant’s Oculus headset lineup via the company’s Venues app.
Virtual spaces firms such as Stage, Inc and Psychic Labs also launched their Stageverse and STYLY creative content hosting platforms, respectively, allowing artists, musicians, and content developers to host their works in virtual spaces for audiences. French startup Stage11 also plans to open its platform for future VR concerts for critically-acclaimed artists around the world.
