BIFAN News

Safely and Successfully Wraps up the 20-Day Long ¡®Beyond Reality¡¯ Experiential Exhibition

DATE2020.12.18Hit 1655


The 24th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
Safely and Successfully Wraps up 
the 20-Day Long ‘Beyond Reality’ Experiential Exhibition


Festival Director SHIN Chul: “We hope it was an event that gave audiences hope during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

  

 
The 24th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN, Festival Director SHIN Chul) wrapped up the 20-day long “BEYOND REALITY OVER INCHEON AIRPORT” exhibition on December 13 (Sun.). The experiential exhibition concluded safely as a meaningful event that drew praises from audiences who have been craving culture during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Participants left one rave review after another for the Beyond Reality exhibition, which they praised and recommended to others for its unique theme and outstanding content. Participants who made reservations for the exhibition through Naver left comments such as: “I received a brochure that was designed like a flight ticket and experienced the content while sitting in an airplane seat. I felt like I was going on a trip.” (Username: spra***) / “I loved it so much that I went twice. It was a truly amazing experiential exhibition.” (Username: pina***) / “It was an enjoyable time during which I could experience futuristic content.” (Username: ceuj***) / “I can’t believe I was able to see such a high-quality exhibition at a location like this. I felt like I went on a real trip that wiped out the frustrations of 2020.” (Username: rabbit***) / “I had my concerns because of COVID-19, but thanks to the many preventative measures that were taken, I was able to experience it safely.” (Username: lk6750***) 

“BIFAN’s Beyond Reality program acts as an interface that connects present-day storytelling and the storytelling of the future,“ said Festival Director SHIN Chul. “We thank the organizations that helped us to conclude the event safely while following preventative measures. We hope that it was an event that gave audiences hope during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

 

  ¤Ó(clockwise from top) Visitors entered the exhibition through a temporary entrance where they were required to have their temperatures checked,
have QR-based entry logs scanned, and go through a full-body sterilizer. / Visitors wearing masks and disposable gloves to experience a variety of VR content¤Ó


 
The exhibition was carefully and meticulously run on the basis of keeping safety a top priority. Before the level 2.5 social distancing measures were implemented in the greater Seoul area, preemptive measures were put in place, such as reducing the exhibition hours and guest capacity. Additional efforts – such as installing a full-body sterilizer and requiring visitors to go through a three-step screening and prevention process before entering each exhibition booth - were made to keep visitors safe. The VR headsets were cleaned with a UV sterilizer, and visitors were required to wear masks and disposable gloves. For one hour each day (14:00 – 15:00), the exhibition was closed down for disinfection purposes. Finally, guests were asked to make advance or on-site reservations, and a maximum of 10 visitors were admitted each hour. A total of 70 or less visitors were accepted each day. 

“Although we were faced with a difficult environment to hold an offline event due to COVID-19, we believed that it was time to look at change from a long-term perspective, and we prepared an exhibition that would be safe for viewing,” revealed BIFAN XR curator Jay KIM. In discussing the reason behind holding the exhibition at Incheon International airport, he explained, “The airport is the place where you feel the excitement at the beginning of a journey, and because VR content is about taking a journey to a different time and place, we decided to hold the exhibition at the airport.” 

For this year’s Beyond Reality exhibition, 26 of the most talked about titles (15 interactive films, 11 360 VR films) were presented. Such titles included: the award-winning The Line; Bodyless, by director HUANG Hsin-Chen, master of new wave art from Taiwan; Peach Garden, which was inspired by the famous Dream of Journey to Peach Blossom Land painting by Korean painter AN Gyeon; the three-part virtual reality series Spheres, which invites you to the deepest corners of the universe; and Book of Distance, which garnered a great deal of attention at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Each title allows viewers to see how far along virtual content has come. 

The Beyond Reality exhibition was organized as a part of the 24th BIFAN. The event gave visitors a special opportunity to experience VR (virtual reality) and XR (extended reality) content that was not able to be exhibited while the festival was in session (July 9-16). The event was hosted by BIFAN, Embassy of France in Korea, French Institute in South Koreaand the Incheon International Airport Corporation.
 
 

¤Ó24th BIFAN Opening Film Screening ¤Ó


This year’s BIFAN was the first international film festival to hold a hybrid festival that linked offline, online, and mobile platforms. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all films were screened in one offline theater, and strict social distancing measures and prevention were implemented. To keep safety a top priority, GVs and VR cinema exhibitions, project market meetings, Fantastic Film School lectures and master classes, live performances, conferences, and parties were all held as contact-free events. As a result, the 24th BIFAN received high praise for presenting a new model for international film festivals faced with a global pandemic. The 25th edition of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival is expected to be held in July 2021.