The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is pleased to announce local artists and long-time collaborators, Isobel Knowles and Van Sowerwine, have been awarded its inaugural MIFF XR Commission, supported and developed by artist and philanthropist, Ling Ang. Knowles and Sowerwine, have written, directed, and animated Line-Up – a series of Augmented Reality (AR) experiences celebrating the energy, connection and intimacy of the MIFF queue; a hallowed space where the film community interact in fevered anticipation during the festival.
“We feel very fortunate to be supported in our practice experimenting with innovative and meaningful storytelling via this commission,” Knowles commented “We can’t wait to see audiences experience our animated AR stories and hope that our work invites connection between patrons as they interact with our stories and each other.” Sowerwine echoed Knowles’ sentiment: “We are thrilled that MIFF and Ling Ang have provided this inspiring opportunity for creative practitioners – such opportunities are much needed in the arts, especially right now.”
photo courtesy of the Melbourne International Film Festival
“MIFF’s array of VR/XR programming has looked to the future since its festival introduction in 2016. Our collaboration with the incredible Isobel Knowles and Van Sowerwine this year will now use AR to tell the history of the festival itself in a way that only this medium could. As much as we want to rush back into in cinemas in 2022, Line-Up makes clear that the queue is also one of the most interesting places to be!” MIFF’s Artistic Director, Al Cossar commented. Mr. Cossar went on to explain that a key project of MIFF’s 70th anniversary program, in Line-Up, audiences will be introduced to animated cinema-goers who take the form of the city’s fruit bats – Melbourne’s beloved creatures of the night, who flock deliberately into the skies in parallel with the nocturnal rhythms of MIFF audiences. Cossar said that Line-Up will blend the present-day physical world of festival audiences with an animated, uncanny reinterpretation of MIFF, imaginatively brought to life on the screen through AR by Knowles and Sowerwine. Featuring seven short stories – derived from interviews conducted with a diverse selection of MIFF patrons, volunteers, and employees – and an eighth experience inviting an audience response, punters will be able to interact with the animated fruit bats at all festival locations, physical and online. Line-Up will also be available to play in the MIFF XR platform.
Ang explained that MIFF XR — the first of its kind in Australia — is an Extended Reality program that encompasses augmented reality and virtual reality; a program that reflects and represents the very best of emergent 360° and interactive filmmaking, and challenges filmmakers to think and create in new ways. Ang added that through the MIFF XR commission, audiences can expect a one-of-a-kind Augmented Reality work that shines a light on Melbourne as well as the festival’s long-established connection with its audiences, volunteers, and filmmakers.
“MIFF’s 70th edition is a momentous occasion, so it’s exciting to be able to help the festival develop its inaugural XR Commission and look to the future,” Ang commented “Van and Isobel have been animating stories across all kinds of mediums over the last two decades. For this commission, their artistry is being translated into a fun and interactive AR project, exploring the weird and wonderful stories from the MIFF queue. It will be triggered in venues, online and within MIFF’s XR Gallery. Step-by-step, I hope this project inspires more audiences and filmmakers to embrace the visceral pleasures of interactive storytelling.”