Taiwan's VR artist Hsin-Chien Huang Wins the Best VR Story Awards of Cannes XR
The awards ceremony of Le Marché du Film will be held at midnight of July 13, 2021, at the Museum of Reality. The latest VR production by Distinguished Professor of NTNU, artist Hsin-Chien Huang, has been riding high among the other 16 nominated productions and bring home the prestigious "Best VR Story" award. "Samsara Ep. 1" is the first native VR production from Taiwan to receive such honor and has once again put Taiwan on the map!
In the acceptance speech, Huang first mentioned that he would like to thank the jury for the recognition and encouragement. It was a great honor for him personally to win this award. He'd also like to thank the full support from the Taiwan Creative Content Agency and the VR FILM LAB of Kaohsiung Film Archive for making the production happen. Finally, he thanked all the crew members for showing the world how amazing the VR production from Taiwan.
The plot involves many different social issues, including ecology, technology, natural resource, and war. It's about a journey for humans after destroying the Earth with nukes. The survivors seek a new planet to carry on their lives in the limitless interstellar space, gradually evolve into a new life form artificially. Yet, after so many years, they have come to realize that they would never make it to the new planet that they have been dreaming of. They have been simply returning to the Earth in different life forms through time after time. Huang uses the story to reflect on the philosophy of life and applies the concept of "embodied cognition" to make audiences switch to different bodies and experience the worldview of "Samsara" via a new perspective.
As one of the most famous film festivals globally, the Cannes Film Festival has always been a trial balloon for filmmakers around the globe. This year, to lower the impact of the pandemic, the Cannes CR has built a unique venue in the MOR (Museum of Reality) with VeeR, an online platform for virtual content, offering various exhibitions during the event. The team has broken down the barriers across materials, audio, and hardware, in reality, using surreal effects to provide the most magnificent viewing experience. From screening, walking on the red carpet, being seated to giving speeches, all the details are not left out through the VR headsets. Huang is especially impressed by the special area built for him by the host team. The ceremony is presented virtually innovatively, resonating a groundbreaking feature in the VR film industry.
After winning the top award of the SXSW, "Jury Awards", "Samsara" has yet again captured the attention of another international film festival, proving the profound and vibrant creativity of VR from Taiwan. The full version of "Samsara: will start its tour in September this year and come back to host its Asian premiere in Kaohsiung in October.