Upcoming
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Past
San Francisco VRIFF is the premiere virtual reality international film festival and expo. SFVRIFF highlights the best virtual reality filmmakers/creators/story tellers and as well as the latest VR/360 Video technology from around the world. SFVRIFF's four film categories will be comprised of narrative, documentary, animation, and experimental. SFVRIFF will give audiences the ability to experience new unique VR content in a festive environment.
The Evening Honorees
1. "The Walking Dead" VR Experience, David Alpert, CEO, Skybound Entertainment
2. “The Empathy Project” Jamie Wong, Creative Director/Executive Producer, co-creator, Van Jones, Political Analyst, CNN
3. “Incorporated” - Executive Producers by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Aruna Inversin, VR Supervisor, Digital Domain, SyFy Networks
4. “Halcyon” VR/TV Hybrid for Syfy Network and Oculus, Eric W. Shamlin, Managing Director / Executive Producer, Secret Location
5. Ken Burns and TIME Present “Defying the Nazis VR” for PBS, Producer, Christina Heller, CEO & Co-founder, VR Playhouse; Director, Elijah Allan-Blitz
Additional Honorees to be Announced
"Project Empathy" was created by Jamie Wong and Van Jones to bridge technology, media, and social justice, and build a new model for meaningful stories and change. It is a virtual reality film series that shows us the world through the eyes of another. The series includes, The Letter (VR film) Left Behind (VR film) Prey (VR film) and True Stories. Each film is designed to create empathy through a first-person experience--from being a child inside the U.S. prison system to being a widow cast away from society in India. Individually, each of the films in this series presents its filmmaker's unique vision, portraying an intimate experience through the eyes of someone whose story has been lost or overlooked and yet is integral to the larger story of our global society. Collectively, these creatively distinct films weave together a colorful tapestry of what it means to be human today.
The VR - AR - Immersive Track
Session I: Haas Conference Center - Room 172 & 173, Live Webcast
VR/AR as Change Agent: Social, News, Documentary and Political Media
Elijah Allan-Blitz, VR Experiences, “Ken Burns new film “Defying The Nazis,” Aloe Blac & Gina Belafonte
Jamie Wong, Creative Director/Executive Producer, "Project Empathy," co-producer, Van Jones, CNN
Brandon Zamel, Founder, CEO, Springbok Entertainment, Moderator
Speakers to be announced
Join collaborators Wendy Calhoun and Jamie Wong for an exploration into uncharted territory: Virtual Reality. The duo will discuss their upcoming VR series, Project Empathy, how to approach writing in a matrix, and why virtual reality arguably holds the future of storytelling in its three-dimensional hands.
The Society’s goal is to accelerate the transformation, innovation and profitability of the Virtual Reality Content, Distribution and Technology Business. The Society promotes and fosters a marketplace of ideas based on thought leadership, sharing of best practices, marketing, industry analytics and advocacy.
The Project Empathy VR short "Left Behind" will premiere at The Atlantic's Race + Justice Summit on September 15th in Los Angeles.
The Atlantic will be in Los Angeles to explore the changing narrative of race and identity in this country. In The Atlantic's second annual Race + Justice summit we will convene civic leaders, activists, artists, policymakers and story-makers for a day of unflinching conversation.
Within that framework we will tackle some of the most pressing issues of our time, from immigration and housing, to policing and the role that Hollywood plays in shaping the story of race in America.
In Project Empathy's debut of its VR films, the first VR piece will be on display at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this week (beginning July 25th).
The VR experience can been seen at the #cut50 / Dream Corps booth. The VR experience allows you to sit with Shaka Senghor in his Detroit home as he traces his own experiences in prison in Michigan for 19 years, spending much of his time in solitary confinement.
For more information on the VR experience or to schedule a screening, please contact [email protected] or Aunny Bathe at (310) 367-9543.