The Virtual Reality and Immersive Cinema track at the New York Film Festival, including three World Premieres

When: October 11–14
Where: Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 144 W 65th St, New York, NY 10023
Price: Virtual Cinema $7–10; VR Arcade $20–25; on sale September 9

Tags: #VR, #360film, #interactive, #ContentAdvisory, #MobilityAdvisory (see below)

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Over the course of NYFF’s final weekend, audiences can experience wide-ranging selections including: What Goes Up/Must Come Down, a combination of VR and video installation that takes viewers through the gorgeous Instagram sensation of the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival and the environmental destruction the lanterns cause once tourists leave; Blue Bird, an immersive animated VR film that feels like a painting come to life; and Hope Against the Haze, a journey into the citizen-led effort to rid the once pristine beaches of Mumbai of the trash that overwhelms them. Additionally, Convergence will present the U.S. premiere of Cycles, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ first ever VR short, a brilliant meditation on what makes a house a home.

Convergence includes virtual cinema works, a program of VR documentaries, and a special “Arcade,” giving participants the opportunity to experience several VR stories from multiple creators in the same space. In addition, there will be a live Columbia Digital Storytelling Lab, where participants can engage with an AI system through conversation and see how the AI uses their conversations to create its own “human” story. Other highlights include Battle Scar, an animated VR experience featuring Rosario Dawson, which brings to life the Lower East Side’s ’70s punk culture; Fire Escape, an interactive thriller set on a Brooklyn fire escape that leads to an adventure filled with deceit and murder; and the documentary My Africa, a journey into the daily life of a young Samburu woman, narrated by Academy Award-winner Lupita Nyong’o.

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Content Advisories: Contents of each piece will vary. VR causes motion sickness in some individuals.