Explore the Future of Storytelling at SIFF VR Zone A Virtual Reality and 360 Content Pop-up Event

SEATTLE, WA -- April 25, 2018 -- Step into the world of virtual reality as the Seattle International Film Festival presents the SIFF VR Zone, where audiences will explore the best and most compelling virtual reality (VR) and 360 video content from around the world. SIFF will shine a spotlight on some of the best in global immersive and interactive content, curated from top industry film festivals Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca Film Festival, and from around the world. The SIFF VR Zone will run May 18 through June 10, 2018 in the Pacific Place shopping center, in the heart of downtown Seattle.

"Seattle is a hub for the top innovators in virtual reality entertainment," said SIFF Artistic Director Beth Barrett. "What's especially exciting about this exhibit is that you can experience some of Seattle's interactive experiences and 360 storytelling alongside some of the best, most compelling VR in the world."

Guests will have 90 minutes to explore over two dozen experiences in a diverse array of stunning and compelling immersive settings. Selections include pieces by both local and international content creators.

"The content in the VR Zone is spectacular and spans the globe," said Kim Voynar, CEO of WonderTek Labs and producer of SIFF VR Zone. "There's an exciting slate of 360 African storytelling from Senegal and Kenya, an immersive documentary Greenland Melting, from "Godmother of VR" Nonny de la Peñaa nd co-director Catherine Upin, breathtaking pieces from South Korea, China, and Australia, and many other compelling pieces from the US and Seattle."

Music is also highlighted in the SIFF VR Zone with music legend Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins in his new immersive VR music video for Aeronaut, co-directed by David Liu. And, Seattle power pop icons The Posies kick off their 30th anniversary tour with the World Premiere of their 360 music video for Unlikely Places.

Dr. Evie Powell, CEO of Seattle-based VR start-up Verge of Brilliance, brings snow into summer with her new interactive VR experience, Epic Snowday Adventure. Start a snowball fight with your friend (or frenemy) in this two-player interactive game. Join Seattle non-profit dance troupe The Cabiri in a 360 dance session dramatizing the mythologies of extinct and endangered cultures through theatrical performance, titled The Cabiri: Anubis co-directed by former Seattleite Fred Beahm. Float through an abstract world of breathtaking beauty in Scobot's piece World One, or up in a hot air balloon ride in co-directors Julia Jackson and Larry James' Uplift VR - Maiden Voyage.

SIFF VR Zone is made possible by the following partners, Pacific Place, WonderTek Labs, Samsung VR, HTC Viveport, Pixvana, Portal VR Arcade, Triumph Expo & Events, LMG and Puget Systems.

Tickets for SIFF VR Zone onsale now and are $25 ($20 for members). Purchase online at SIFF.net and in person at SIFF Cinema locations (Film Center, Uptown, Egyptian).

The complete Festival lineup will be announced on May 3, 2018. Individual ticket sales begin Wednesday, May 2 with special advance access to SIFF members, and Thursday, May 3 to the general public with the official SIFF 2018 Box Office open. Purchases can be made online or in person.

CONFIRMED CONTENT

360 OUTER SPACE
Space Explorers: A New Dawn, co-directors Felix Lajeunesse & Paul Raphaël (Canada)

360 OUT OF AFRICA
The Other Dakar, dir Selly Raby Kane (Senegal)
Nairobi Berries, dir Ng'endo Mukii (Kenya)
Let This Be a Warning, dir Jim Chuchu (The Nest Collective) (Kenya)

360 EXPERIMENTAL STORYTELLING
The Cabiri: Anubis, dir Bogdan Darev & Fred Beahm (USA - Seattle)
Homecoming: Seduction, dir Lance McDaniel
Summation of Force, co-directors Narelle Autio, Trent Parke & Matt Bate (Australia)
Space X Girl, dir Mihnyuk Che (South Korea)
Everything Flows, dir Yumeng Du (China)

360 NARRATIVE STORYTELLING
U-Turn, dir Nathalie Mathe (USA)
The Visigoths, dir Rory Mitchell (USA)

360 DOCUMENTARY
Sun Ladies VR, dir Celine Tricart (USA/Iraq)
The Journey, dir Charlotte Mikkelborg (UK/Ethiopia/Sudan/Chad)
Sanctuaries of Silence dir Emmanuel Vaughn Lee & Adam Loften (USA - WA)

360 ART & MUSIC
The Posies - Unlikely Places, produced & directed by WonderTek Labs (USA)
Rone, dir Lester Francois (AUS)
Unraveled - The Future of Music with Virtual Reality and 360 Media, dir Yao Wang, Berklee College of Music (USA)

YOUTH 360 SHOWCASE
7 Stories for 7 Years, Produced by Al Jazeera, Exec Producer Zahra Rasool (Jordan)
Dreaming in Za'atari: Stories After Syria, Produced by Al Jazeera, Exec Producer Zahra Rasool (Jordan)
Tapestry 360, produced by Reel Grrls/WonderTek Labs

INTERACTIVE VR PROGRAM
Aeronaut (feat. Billy Corgan) co-directors David Liu and Rob Ruffler (USA)
Greenland Melting, co-directors Catherine Upin and Nonny de la Pena (USA/Greenland)
Mono: Blackwater, dir Ben Wolstenhome (USA/India)
World One, dir Scobot (USA - Seattle)
Epic Snowday Adventure, creator Verge of Brilliance (Dr. Evie Powell) (USA - Seattle)
UpLift VR - Maiden Voyage (Hot Air Balloon Ride), co-directors Julia Jackson and Larry James (USA - Seattle)
Where Thoughts Go, Lead creator Lucas Rizzotto

ABOUT PACIFIC PLACE
Occupying an entire city block at the bustling intersection of Sixth Avenue and Pine Street, downtown Seattle's most heavily trafficked intersection, Pacific Place offers more than 50 shops and restaurants including Barneys New York, Tiffany & Co., Kate Spade New York, Din Tai Fung, Trophy Cupcakes, lululemon athletica and AMC Pacific Place 11. For more information, call (206) 405-2655, visit the web site at www.pacificplaceseattle.com, find Pacific Place Seattle on Facebook, and on Twitter and Instagram

ABOUT SIFF
Founded in 1976, SIFF creates experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world with the Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF Cinema, and SIFF Education. Recognized as one of the top film festivals in North America, the Seattle International Film Festival is the longest, most highly attended film festival in the United States, reaching more than 145,000 annually. The 25-day festival is renowned for its wide-ranging and eclectic programming, presenting over 400 features, short films, and documentaries from over 80 countries each year. SIFF Cinema exhibits premiere theatrical engagements, repertory, classic, and revival film showings 363 days a year on five screens at the SIFF Cinema Uptown, SIFF Cinema Egyptian, and SIFF Film Center, reaching more than 175,000 attendees annually. SIFF Education offers educational programs for all audiences serving more than 10,000 students and youth in the community with free programs each year.

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