Top Story: ‘The Wild Robot’ And ‘Arcane’ Lead 52nd Annie Award Nominations

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival has revealed nine virtual reality projects that will compete during the event that takes place June 10-15.

The festival received 90 submissions for its vr category this year, coming from nearly 30 different countries. Organizers reported that 47% of the submitted projects were from France or the U.S. However, only one American project made the cut in the final selection. More than 30% of the vr projects submitted were directed or co-directed by women, and two of them were selected for competition.

The selection committee was comprised of Yves Nougarède and Clémence Bragard. They observed that the vr submissions had a “particularly strong focus on gaming and interactive projects where the spectator rarely sits back and relaxes.”

Here is the full list of vr projects in competition:

  • Ayahuasca – Kosmik Journey – Directed by Jan Kounen (France, Luxembourg)
  • Doctor Who – The Runaway – Directed by Mathias Chelebourg (United Kingdom)
  • Gloomy Eyes – Directed by Jorge Tereso, Fernando Maldonado (Argentina, France)
  • Gymnasia – Directed by Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski (Canada)
  • Le Cri VR – Directed by Sandra Paugam, Charles Ayats (France)
  • Nothing to Be Written – Lysander Ashton (United Kingdom)
  • The Lost Botanist – Directed by Ree Treweek, Rick Trewee (South Africa)
  • Tx-reverse 360° – Directed by Virgil Widrich, Martin Reinhart (Austria, Germany)
  • Wolves in the Walls, Chapter 2, It’s All Over! – Directed by Pete Billington (USA)

(Picture at top: “Gloomy Eyes”)