VR: Big Screen on Wide Screen

VR: Velké plátno na širokém displeji / 120 min.

This year’s VR section takes us to the space between classic cinema and immersive media. How are VR adaptations of film classics made? And can we even call them “adaptations” in this context? From 360° films to interactive storytelling and VR gaming worlds, this section explores what happens when the viewer goes from being a passive observer to becoming an active participator. How does narration change when the camera disappears and the whole space opens up around us? And what is left of the magic of cinema once we transfer it to the “wide screen” of virtual reality?

Montegelato

Italy, 2021, 15 min, Italian, English

director: Davide Rapp

age: 10+

A unique experimental collage of footage from one of the most iconic film locations – the Monte Gelato waterfalls. This site near Rome has served as a backdrop in hundreds of films shot by Italian filmmakers. Director Davide Rapp selected 180 of them, found footage of the waterfalls, and edited them in a special way into a 360° video. The result is an original archival collage in which the waterfalls remain in place while the events around them change – from an alien invasion to erotic scenes that appear and disappear like the immortal spirits of this place.

Odyssey 1.4.9.

France, 2020, 8 min, English, no dialogue

director: François Vautier

age: 10+

This VR tribute to Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) focuses on the mysterious monolith, which is the primary source of the film’s enigmatic events. This abstract VR animation uses footage from Kubrick’s film and has it scanned by the mysterious monolith in a galactic tunnel, revealing new visual and sensory dimensions of this cinematic classic.

Peaky Blinders: The King's Ransom

Great Britain, 2022, 40-160 min, English

directors: Russell Harding, Tim Jones

age: 16+

Sex, cigarette smoke, blood, underworld schemes, and virtual Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby. In this VR spin-off, set between the fourth and fifth seasons of Peaky Blinders (2013–2022), you take on the role of Sam, a thief who has escaped the death penalty. You are accepted into London’s underworld and set out on a mission to recover Churchill’s mysterious box containing confidential government information. This narrative action-adventure game builds on a unique gangster aesthetic in a one-of-a-kind VR experience.

Mobile suit gundam: Silver Phantom

France, Japan, USA, 2024, 45-130 min, English

director: Kenichi Suzuki

age: 10+

Mobile Suit Gundam (1979–1980) is a legendary Japanese space anime. The world centred around the Gundam mobile suit has spawned more than 80 different anime series, films, and spin-off projects. Now, 45 years later, it has also expanded into the realm of virtual reality. In this VR interactive spin-off, we return to the world of Universal Century, set after the war between the Earth Federation and Neo Zeon. You navigate the story as a secret agent for a mercenary organization hired by the Federation to eliminate a high-ranking politician who has betrayed the Federation. However, it soon becomes clear that the secret mission is not what it seemed.

Wallace and Gromit: The Grand Getaway

Great Britain, France, 2023, 60-80 min, English

directors: Finbar Hawkins, Bram Twheam

age: 10+

Going on a golf trip? That doesn’t sound very adventurous – unless the legendary Wallace and Gromit are involved. Due to a mix-up in the schedule and the heroes’ absent-mindedness, their famous rocket veers slightly off course and ends up beyond the boundaries of our planet. The game, featuring typical British humour, lets you solve puzzles and play mini-games that move the story forward. The creators make direct references to the original movie Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out (1989), in which the duo also flew into space in a rocket.

Missing Pictures (series)

France, Great Britain, Taiwan, Luxembourgh, South Korea, 2022, 15 min per episode, English

director: Clément Deneux

age: 10+

One of the typical questions given to filmmakers is: “What film did you want to make but never got the chance to?” Clément Deneux posed this question to several renowned filmmakers. Their visions come to life in virtual miniatures in which each scanned director narrates and visually develops their concept. We will present three episodes from the series, depicting the “missing pictures” of Abel Ferrara, Catherine Hardwicke, and Naomi Kawase.

Phantom Rides

Czech Republic, 2026, 10 min, Czech, English

director: NaFilm

age: 10+

The year is 1904, and a revolutionary attraction called Hale’s Tours has just been introduced at the St. Louis World Fair. It’s a train ride simulation that uses film and special effects to take visitors on a journey around the world. All you have to do is turn on the camera and set the switch to the right direction. The train is pulling out. The NaFilm Museum has created a unique sensory experience reminiscent of the early days of film that reveals the first attempts to create virtual reality.

Ondřej Moravec