The Future Is Now

This year, AFF returns with the second edition of the section called THE FUTURE IS NOW, dedicated to the new documentary formats. The festival’s audience will have the opportunity to view a broad selection of documentary projects of virtual reality, as well as screenings that are specially presented in the dome theatre, within the most diverse and bountiful programme of virtual cinema, a unique experience in Romania. In the field of virtual reality and 360-degree videos, aside from developing more efficient and reachable systems, novelty also resides in the diversity and usefulness of these innovative technologies being applied to the real world. These new developments can be experienced at AFF.

Immersive Cinema

The boundary between the viewer and the space occupied by the visual image has always been a concern for visual artists.

The idea of ​​using all available technical means to eliminate this distance in order to provide a simulation as successful as possible so that the spectator gains the impression of physical presence both in real and in imaginative places, was the purpose of each historical stage, contributing to a new development of artistic and technological language in creating the feeling of being present elsewhere.

As early as 20 A.D., the device of the panorama existed in painting, particularly in murals found in Pompeii as a means of generating an immersive 'panoptic' experience of a vista.

The popularity of panoramic paintings increased over the centuries.

The inaugural exhibition, a "View of Edinburgh" (1788) by Robert Barker featured a painting shown on a cylindrical surface, which looked at from within, gave the viewers a vantage point encompassing the entire circle of the horizon.

By the mid-19th century,panoramic paintings featured mostly landscapes and historical events. Later on, the panorama was enriched by the new technological discoveries of cinematography, and so appeared the device called Cinéorama, presented at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900. The film experiment simulated a balloon flight over Paris. The circular projection induced in the viewers a feeling of floating.

In 1955, the Walt Disney Company created the 360 ° Circle Vision film technique, which aimed to completely "immerse" the viewers into the filmic space.

In 1971 was built the first permanent theater in Toronto (Canada).

Today, the new stage of immersive cinema, marks the shift from representation to experience, from analog to digital, inviting the audience not only to look at the reality presented but to join the three-dimensional characters and interact with the narrative.

Contemporary documentary projects relized in these immersive digital environments manifest a major shift in the evolution of non-fiction, and the new sensory spaces opened by technology will reposition ethical and artistic questions while presenting the possibilities, complexities and the way these new technologies will revolutionize the evolution of non-fiction.

Dome Cinema

The Dome Cinema returns this year with a richer and more varied program, giving the audience for the second year in a row, the unique chance to watch a selection of projects created at the intersection of digital technology and modern art that lead us in a journey beyond the boundaries of the daily banal.

The fulldome documentaries in the selection face the spectators with many unanswered questions related to our surrounding world: will we ever be able to communicate with other civilizations? (Hello Earth), Could a super-volcano erupt during our era? (Supervolcanoes), What happens during a solar storm? (Solar Superstorms), Can our galaxy be precisely mapped? (Journey to a Billion Suns), What does it mean to live in the interconnected world of today? (Habitat Earth), Can we detect asteroids before they reach Earth? (Incoming!).

A collaboration between painters, photographers and digital animators presents a new way to experience art by turning static visual elements into kinetic ones. (Samskara, Art Universe). A musical background carries the spectators through exclusive images of Buenos Aires and the famous porteños dance under music score made by the famous Astor Piazzolla who revolutionized the traditional tango music incorporating classical and jazz elements (Tango 360);  themes of Newton, Vivaldi, Bach and Einstein are reinterpreted in a visual concert where the sound aesthetics of synthesizer are combined with the violins (Cosmos Music - a Visual Concert); three musical episodes that bring to life the ideas and visions of Jules Verne (The Travels of Jules Verne); abstract paintings represent the months of the year animated in the Mandala structure and casino atmosphere (Circles of Time and Game).

For younger audiences, the program offers five films about the cosmos, the galaxies, the universe and Planet Earth.

VR / Virtual reality

Virtual reality is used today in various areas, ranging from architecture, fashion, medicine or military domain up to business, education, journalism or NGOs. This year's virtual reality and video 360° program showcased at Astra Film Festival reflects the variety of applications these innovative technologies have in the real world. The projects are grouped into categories which exemplify some of the current directions of VR development.

WebVR, the latest technical innovation in virtual reality

The purpose of WebVR applications is to simplify the audience's access to virtual reality experiences regardless of the available viewing devices, helmet, or video game specific means that viewers have at hand. The projects showcased in this category are Deprogrammed, Tzina: Symphony of longing and  Bear 71.

Virtual reality in journalism

The 360° video technology is employed by news agencies for broadcasting news, reports or livestreams as it provides a more objective perspective on the events and attracts young audiences. Three films are included in this subcategory: Bashir's dream, The displaced and Inside Auschwitz.

VR and Social Change

VR technology changes the way NGOs and non-profit organizations address public engagement strategies on different contemporary issues. The topic of the projects involve environmental protection (Out of the blue), social inclusion (A grandmother’s love), women's rights  (Women on the move) and domestic violence (Notes to my father).

New Dimensions - Virtual Reality Africa presents a selection of VR productions that provide a picture of the vibrant, varied and ever changing cultural landscape of contemporary Africa (Nairobi Berries, Let This Be A Warning, Spirit Robot and The Other Dakar).

Romanian VR productions/projects

This year, the virtual reality programme also includes three local productions, putting Romania on the map of VR experiments: Jilava Massacre, The AI Comrade and the Vodafone campaign „Envisage the Future” illustrating the potential of the virtual reality in envisioning the jobs of the future.

Adela Muntean