The 25th Bucheon International Film Festival Is Calling for XR Project Entries
Festival looks forward to entries that expand the domain of expression
through the convergence of art and technology
¡ã Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a three-week-long exhibition titled ‘Beyond Reality Over Incheon Airport’ was held starting on Nov. 24.
It drew praise from participants for its concept, which allowed visitors to embark on a virtual trip that left from the airport.
The 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN, Festival Director SHIN Chul) is now accepting XR project submissions for the festival’s XR program, Beyond Reality. The deadline for submissions is April 30 (Fri.) at 24:00 KST.
Submitted projects must have been completed after January 1, 2020. Any project that uses XR as a medium is eligible to be submitted. There are no restrictions in terms of format, content, or running time. Entries will be evaluated and selected according to the composition of this year’s XR program, and the selected projects will be screened during the 25th BIFAN (July 8-15). The selected projects will be posted on the BIFAN website in May, and the entrants will be notified separately.
Submissions are accepted at BIFAN’s online entry site (http://entry.bifan.kr/en/). Inquiries can be made by phone (032-327-6313 / ext. 104) or e-mail (newmedia@bifan.kr).
“With the format and substance of XR content becoming more diverse all over the world, we are seeing many instances of XR content being creatively fused with various art forms,” revealed BIFAN XR curator Jay KIM. “Even if it’s not a work that was created with a specific device in mind, I hope to see a great deal of bold immersive content that expands the domain of expression through the convergence of art and technology.”
¡ã The 24th BIFAN’s Beyond Reality online/offline program. (clockwise from top left) Offline XR exhibition hall,
special performance Bardo, which was linked to the XR selection for last year’s festival, and conversations with directors through avatars
In 2016, BIFAN became the first film festival in the country to open an XR program through the introduction of Beyond Reality, which has been held annually since its launch. Last year, due to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, both offline exhibitions and online screenings were held. Since overseas guest couldn’t be invited to join, a “Trend Report” video was produced that contained lectures from XR experts in the fields of film festivals, events, and distribution, giving audiences a chance to meet industry professionals. Talks with the directors of the selected projects took place in a virtual space through an avatar, and they became colorful events that showed the possibilities of XR.
XR is the abbreviation for eXtended Reality, with the “X” in XR signifying a variable that can stand for any letter. XR encompasses VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality), MR (Mixed Reality), and SR (Substitutional Reality). In addition to being an idea that actively responds to the development of technologies and concepts, it is also an ambitious definition that covers all content domains.