Jeden Svět: Virtuální Realita

Virtual reality offers an immersive experience of unprecedented imaginary worlds and purely real, urgent topics that resonate with society: from the anti-capitalist fairy tale The Sad Mouse Who Wanted to Be Someone, to the visual epic deconstructing Dutch colonialism in Australia, Revival Roadshow, to the gentle essay on mental health in Japan, When You See a Cat.

This year's selection is dominated by themes that set the mind, and sometimes even the body, in motion. The witty and chilling game We Are Dead Animals, which tasks players with collecting dead animals in a post-apocalyptic landscape, will certainly not leave visitors unmoved. Virtual reality can also be an impressive medium for raw, documentary testimony about a terrifying reality. The film Under One Sky reports on the genocide in Gaza, in which a local journalist closely follows the destruction of his country.

Visitors can choose which films they want to watch during hour-long blocks at Gallery 35 at the French Institute (films range from 12 to 40 minutes in length). Seven films are in English, and the film 8 Billion Selves has no dialogue and is therefore accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing.

Under the Same Sky / Hadeel Arja / Turkey, Palestine, 2024 / 38 min. – Violence alternates with love bombing, a seemingly endless cycle of abuse that many women are forced to endure. Inspired by real-life stories, this film gives survivors the space to express their experiences and emotions.
Another Place / Domenico Singha Pedroli / France, 2025 / 19 min. – A young trans woman awaits asylum in France, wandering the city at night in a state of unease. Will she ever return home to her cats?
The Sad Story of the Little Mouse Who Wanted to Become Somebody / Nicolas Bourniquel / France, 2025 / 28 min. – An animated Christmas tale about a clever little mouse driven by the pursuit of recognition and success, only to discover what is lost when genuine creativity is replaced by corporate practices and machinery.
We Are Dead Animals / Tote Tiere Maarten / Germany, Netherlands, 2025 / 20 min. – Have you ever wondered what a fox with a pigeon’s head might look like? This VR game lets you play with dead animals. You can revive them, splice them together, or even eat them to save yourself from death.
If You See a Cat / Atsushi Wada / Japan, 2025 / 37 min. – Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see the world through a cat’s eyes? This immersive virtual reality film offers a way to look at things from an unusual perspective.
8 Billion Selves / Tibor de Jong / Netherlands, 2024 / 24 min. – Is it possible to attain uniqueness among eight billion others? 8 Billion Selves is a flowing, dreamlike journey through a world where people “are born, work, wage war, love, dance, create art, and die”.
Revival Roadshow / Luke Conroy, Anne Fehres / Netherlands, 2025 / 17 min. – This provocative comedy takes aim at consumerism, colonial fantasies, and the dangerous belief that charismatic leaders can save us from catastrophe.
Space for Action / felt Experience and Empathy Lab / Australia, 2024 / 12 min. – Violence alternates with love bombing, a seemingly endless cycle of abuse that many women are forced to endure. Inspired by real-life stories, this film gives survivors the space to express their experiences and emotions.