In the program of the prestigious Venice Film Festival – the Lithuanian virtual reality film “Playing Life” | Culture

The premiere of the film in Lithuania took place at the beginning of this year, it can be seen in special “Hexa Cinema” virtual reality cinema spaces operating in the country’s major cities. The film will appear in the Immersive category of the Venice Film Festival, alongside other augmented reality projects from around the world, and compete for the prestigious Golden Lion award.

“It is a great honor for us to participate in an event of this level and to be next to the most famous movie stars. Although we have been making films in Lithuania for decades, it is almost symbolic that it was precisely innovative technologies, the courage to experiment and create a new type of cinema experience in the market of a small country that brought us to the Venice Festival. In one year, we not only established a network of virtual reality cinema spaces “Hexa Cinema”, but we even created two films so that viewers have the freedom to choose the content they want – just like in a regular cinema.

Photo of the organizers/”Play Life”

“Playing Life” is the result of the work of a huge team, which was inspired by the works of artist Algis Krisčiūnas. The four directors worked together to combine the author’s artistic vision, technological capabilities and present a film of the highest level, already appreciated by critics internationally”, says the developer of Hexa Cinema and well-known producer Žilvinas Naujokas.

“Playing Life” is a half-hour long virtual reality film in which as many as 20 paintings by Algis Krisčiūnas come to life. Using modern computer graphics technologies, the artist’s works were recreated in three-dimensional space and placed in an all-encompassing virtual environment. They are united by the story written by the artist himself, voiced by the performers Inga Jankauskaitė and Mantas Jankavičiaus.

The plot of the film is a nostalgic dialogue regarding the passing of life, colored by memories and experiences, which opens the door to a complex world of feelings. “Playing Life” can be seen using virtual reality equipment – special glasses and headphones that provide a 360-degree immersive experience.

“I am glad that modern technologies allow creativity to discover new forms, different types of art to connect with each other and spread even more widely. I congratulate the entire creative team of the film, and the best appreciation of our joint work is that the hearts of the audience have been touched. If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming invisible and able to fly, then this film will be a dream come true: you’ll fly through space like a weightless spirit, observe a mysterious and excitingly beautiful world, hear the life story of two people and feel a part of it,” says the famous artist, photographer and musician Algis Krisčiūnas.

“Playing Life” will have its international premiere at the Venice International Film Festival Venice Immersive Augmented Reality (XR – angl. extended reality) in the project category, which this year selected 63 works from 25 countries, including 360° videos, augmented reality (AR – angl. augmented reality)virtual reality (VR – virtual reality) projects as well as installations and virtual worlds. 26 works, including “Playing Life”, will compete for the “Golden Lion” award. Venice Immersive is considered the premier augmented reality event in the world. The festival will take place on August 28. – on September 7.

“Play Life” virtual reality film was created by a large team of Lithuanian cinema and computer animation professionals: director and concept author Vilius Petrauskas, director and creative expression consultant Donatas Ulvydas, director and head of animation and VFX department Mantas Pronckus, director and film producer Žilvinas Naujokas, and text author Algis Krisčiūnas, composer Darius Žičkus, sound designer Artūras Pugačiauskas, “Litl Baz Pictures” and “Muonā studio” companies.