From June 23 to 27, 2018, the Qingdao International VR Film Week – Sandbox Immersive Festival will be held in the beautiful coastal city of Qingdao. The Sandbox Immersive Festival (SIF), initiated by China’s first independent VR film community, Sandbox, is currently the largest and highest-standard immersive film festival in China and globally.
The event is guided by the International Department of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, and co-organized by the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Press and Publication, and the Shinan District Government of Qingdao. It is supported by the Virtual Reality Industry Alliance, Wanda Oriental Movie Metropolis, Peninsula Media, and Control Media, with special partners including Qingdao Hainuo, Aucma, Jindong, and Sandi Time. The main venue is located at the InterContinental Qingdao, with activities running from June 24 to 26. Official screenings will take place from June 23 to 26 at the exhibition space east of Baili Square on Macau Road, followed by a Wanda and Shinan District special event on June 27. Over the five-day festival, the event will showcase cutting-edge immersive entertainment experiences through workshops, pitching sessions, summits, screenings, and immersive technology exhibitions. Lou Yanxin, the chief curator of the Sandbox Immersive Festival, stated that Sandbox is China’s earliest platform for promoting virtual reality in narrative filmmaking. The 2018 Qingdao International VR Film Week aims to create a film festival-like platform to gather the best VR works globally and foster sustainable exchange and collaboration. The theme summit of the Sandbox Immersive Festival will feature guests from Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, Disney, NASA, the United Nations, as well as new media artists, sci-fi writers, futurists, photographers, architects, theater directors, and tech companies. During the festival, an international jury led by Paramount futurist Ted Schilowitz will award prizes including Best Interactive Experience, Best 360 Experience, Best Immersive Art, Best Immersive Marketing, and the Sandbox Best Work Award. The official screenings are a key component of the 2018 Qingdao International VR Film Week. From June 23 to 26, screenings will be open to both industry professionals and the public, divided into three categories: Stand-up VR, VR Theater, and VR Installation.According to reports, the Sandbox Immersive Exhibition has invited top global VR creative teams and their works, including Baobab, Google Spotlight, Fable, Felix & Paul, BBC, Pinta, Sandman, and the United Nations. The event features nearly 50 award-winning or nominated VR works from over 20 countries, showcased at international film festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, Venice, Cannes, and Busan. Half of these works are making their Asian premiere. Among the first announced screenings, seven were created by Chinese teams: *Shennong: Taste of Illusion*, *Three Immortals*, *The Love Letters of Gulangyu*, *Karlo the Giant Egg*, *The Window*, *Everything Flows*, and *Micro Monsters*.
“At this festival, VR enthusiasts in Qingdao will have the opportunity to witness world-class VR works and experience cutting-edge film culture,” said Song Fagang, an associate professor at Shandong University of Arts and media review expert for the event. “I reviewed nearly 50 VR short films, which represent the pinnacle of global VR production. The maturity of these films is astounding, revealing the immense potential of VR.” Song believes VR films are revolutionizing the industry, offering an interactive and sensory experience far beyond traditional cinema, creating an entertaining new world. Tickets for the 2018 Qingdao International VR Film Festival are now on sale, with options including single-session passes, single-day passes, industry passes, and VVIP tickets, priced from 40 RMB to 3,000 RMB. To purchase, search for the official SIF Sandbox Immersive Exhibition account or scan the mini-program QR code. Don’t miss this chance to explore without leaving the country. This June, come to Qingdao and immerse yourself. Below is the list of announced screenings for the 2018 Qingdao International VR Film Festival – Sandbox Immersive Exhibition: **VR Standup Unit** 1. *Shennong: Taste of Illusion* China / 2018 / 12 minutes / Asian Premiere Directors: Mi Li, Wang Zheng 2.1. Fresh Out China / 2018 / 8min / China Premiere Directors: Sam Wey, Tao Fangchao 2. Love Note China / 2018 / 19min / China Premiere Directors: Chen Guanlin, Pu An 3. Cairo’s Tale: The Big Egg China / 2018 / 8min Director: Shi Yuan 4. Firebird: The Unfinished France / 2018 / 21min Director: Balthazar Auxietre 5. Crow: The Legend USA / 2018 / 12min / Asia Premiere Director: Eric Darnell 6. Hold the World USA / 2018 / 10min Director: Dan Smith 7. Wolves in the Wall (Chapter 1) USA / 2018 / 9min / Asia Premiere Director: Pete Billington 8. Dear Angelica USA / 2017 / 15min Director: Saschka Unseld 9. Trinity Canada / 2018 / 13min Director: Patrick Boivin 10. Manifest 99 USA / 2017 / 20min / China Premiere Directors: Bohdon Sayre, Adam Volker 11. Greenland Melting (TBD) USA / 2017 / 13min Directors: Catherine Upin, Nonny de la Peña 12. The Little Prince VR France / 2018 / 10-15min 13. Vestige UK, USA, France / 2018 / 12min / Asia Premiere Director: Aaron Bradbury
Easter Rising: The Voice of Rebel
UK / 2018 / 13min Director: Oscar Raby 16. Hue USA / 2017 / 10min / Asian Premiere Director: Nicole McDonald 17. Chocolate USA / 2017 / 4min Director: Tyler Hurd 18. Sonaria USA / 2017 / 4min Director: Scot Stafford, Chromosphere 19. Pearl USA / 2017 / 6min Director: Patrick Osborne 20. Back to the Moon USA / 2018 / 3min Director: Fx Goby, Hélène Leroux 21. Son of Jaguar USA / 2017 / 10min Director: Jorge Gutierrez 22. Overview France / 2018 / 30min Director: Paul Mezier 23. Construct VR Belgium / 2018 / 8min / Asian Premiere Director: Kevin Margo, Xavier Leconte 24. Dreams of “O” Canada / 2018 / 13min Director: Félix Lajeunesse, François Blouin, Paul Raphaël VR Installation Unit 1. The Day the World Changed (6-person experience) USA / 2018 / 18min / Asian Premiere Director: Gabo Arora, Saschka Unseld 2. Chorus (6-person experience) USA / 2018 / 9min / Asian Premiere Director: Tyler Hurd VR Theatre Unit [Program 1] Beyond Frame 1..A Bar at the Folies-Bergère
France / 2018 / 6min / Asian Premiere Director: Gabrielle Lissot Portrait in Ruins (Rone) (TBD) Australia / 2018 / 8min / Asian Premiere Director: Lester Francois Isle of the Dead Switzerland / 2018 / 6min / Asian Premiere Director: Martin Charriere [Program 2] Imaginary Perspective Notes on Blindness France / 2016 / 7min Director: Arnaud Colinart, Amaury La Burthe Subject: Object USA / 2018 / 8min / Asian Premiere Director: Graham Sack Micro Giants China / 2018 / 7min Director: Zhou Yifu [Program 3] 2018: A China Odyssey Everything Flows China / 2018 / 5min / Asian Premiere Director: Du Yumeng The Real Thing France / 2018 / 16min / Asian Premiere Director: Benoît Felici, Mathias Chelebourg Chuang (In the Pictures) China / 2017 / 5min Director: Shao Qing [Program 4] Hold the Breath Campfire Creepers: The Skull of Sam France, USA / 2018 / 12min / Asian Premiere Director: Alexandre Aja Dinner Party Spain, USA / 2018 / 14min Director: Angel Manuel SotoBloodless
South Korea, USA / 2017 / 12 min / China Premiere Director: Gina Kim Eyes in the Red Wind South Korea / 2017 / 11 min / China Premiere Director: Sngmoo Lee 【Program 5】Be There Into the Now USA / 2018 / 10 min / Asia Premiere Director: Michael Muller My Africa USA, UK / 2018 / 9 min Sanctuaries of Silence (TBD) USA / 2018 / 8 min / Asia Premiere Director: Adam Loften, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee 【Program 6】MK2 Selection The Sun Ladies VR Iraq, USA / 2018 / 7 min Director: Maria Bello, Celine Tricart Planet ∞ France / 2017 / 6 min Director: Momoko Seto Alteration France / 2017 / 18 min Director: Jerome Blanquet
