ADIFF: Immersive Stories Bursary

Creative Director Aoife Doyle and Producer Niamh Herrity of Pink Kong Studios alongside writer Denis James Ryan were together awarded a bursary to a value of €30,000 by ADIFF, Screen Training Ireland & Audi Ireland to produce their virtual reality concept The Tundra which will premiere as part of Immersive Stories: Conference & Exhibition at the Audi Dublin International Film Festival 2018.

 

The award was made after a competitive pitching process at the Immersive Content Creation Event and Hackathon that took place in Dublin on 23^rd & 24^th September. The industry participants’ electric response to the event that featured keynote speakers such as VR pioneer and Head of Submarine Channel Michel Reilhac and Emmy Award-winning VR director Stefan Grambart demonstrates the excitement that new technological platforms and new forms of storytelling are generating in the Irish film, TV and media production sector. ADIFF TV has just released a video report giving a taste of the weekend and what’s to come in next year’s Audi Dublin International Film Festival.

ADIFF Festival Director Gráinne Humphreys said “In partnership with Audi, our title sponsor and Screen Training Ireland we’re proud to be at the forefront of mapping out new ways of imagining stories and experiences for new technological platforms. We were delighted with the high standard of competing projects for the bursary and we’re looking forward to seeing our winning project, The Tundra from Pink Kong Studios’, develop in the run-up to the 2018 Audi Dublin International Film Festival where it will premiere as part of our Immersive Stories: Conference & Exhibition. Curated by Eoghan Cunneen from Lucasfilm, this major new addition to the programme will bring a variety of keynote speakers and an interactive VR arcade.”

Richard Molloy, Head of Marketing and Product for Audi Ireland said: “Audi Ireland would like to extend its congratulations to the winning entry, The Tundra from Pink Kong Studios. We were particularly inspired by their creative interpretation of the project theme ‘25^th Hour’ and very much look forward to the premiere of the virtual reality concept as part of the 2018 Audi Dublin International Film Festival. Furthermore, the high standard of all entries confirms Ireland’s exciting future in this emerging and expanding industry” 

Aoife Doyle, Creative Director of Pink Kong Studios said “We’re over the moon to have had our piece The Tundra chosen as the winner of the ADIFF award for VR short. Virtual Reality is something we’ve been wanting to explore in the studio for some time. We’re super excited to now have the opportunity to create our first VR film with the support of the Audi Dublin International Film Festival and Screen Training Ireland.”

The winning concept responded to the theme set by Audi of the ‘25^th hour’, the hour many will gain due to the future arrival of self-driving cars. The judging panel included actor, filmmaker and photographer Hugh O’Conor on behalf of ADIFF, Emmy-award-winning VR director Stefan Grambart and Richard Molloy, Head of Marketing & Product, Audi Ireland.

Screen Training Ireland is a long-term partner of the Audi Dublin International Film Festival. Their partnership has developed significantly with this project: together developing creative and innovative ways to address training needs within the screen sector. This collaboration will continue into ADIFF 2018 where Immersive Stories: Conference & Exhibition will benefit from Screen Training Ireland’s support and expertise.

Curator of the Immersive Stories: Conference & Exhibition, Eoghan Cunneen, is a Senior Software Engineer at Lucasfilm Ltd’s Advanced Development Group where he has worked on Star Wars: Trials on Tatooine and Alejandro Iñarritu’s highly acclaimed Carne y Arena, the first virtual reality experience to be included at the Festival de Cannes in May 2017. Eoghan is also the co-founder of the Irish VFX + Animation Summit and previously worked at Academy Award-winning visual effects studio Framestore where he worked on titles such as Gravity, Paddington, RoboCop and Clash of the Titans.

Register your interest in attending Immersive Stories: Conference & Exhibition during the 2018 festival at the Audi Dublin International Film Festival Website here.

ADIFF: 2016

The Audi Dublin International Film Festival launched an impressive 14^th programme today, featuring over 80 films from 27 countries, which will welcome over 40 guests to the capital over this 11 day celebration of film.

Bookended by highly anticipated Irish films, the Festival will open on Thursday 18th February with the European premiere of Sing Street, attended by director John Carney and cast members Jack Reynor, Ferdia Walsh Peelo and Lucy Boynton, and closes on Sunday 28th February with director Paddy Breathnach’s stunning Viva. Stars Dublin bound this February for the days in between include Richard Gere, Rebecca Miller, Angela Lansbury, Claudia Cardinale, Neil Jordan, Ben Wheatley, Killian Scott, and  David Hare.

 Speaking at the Programme Launch, Festival Director Gráinne Humphreys said:

“This year’s Festival is a Valentine to Cinema, celebrating world and Irish film, and championing the work of both established and emerging talent. With a guest list that includes Richard Gere, Angela Lansbury, Claudia Cardinale, David Hare, Ben Wheatley, Serge Bromberg, Joachim Trier, Margarethe Von Trotta, Rebecca Miller and many, many more. It’s a programme to savour and I hope that our audiences find much to enjoy and love.”

 

Humanitarian and screen icon Richard Gere will attend the Arnotts Gala screening of Time Out of Mind, joining a host of stellar guests including legendary acting talents Claudia Cardinale, who will attend the Italian Gala with Peroni Nastro Azzurro, and Angela Lansbury, alongside acclaimed directors Rebecca Miller with her comedy Maggie’s Plan, Ben Wheatley with his JG Ballard adaptation High Rise, Joachim Trier with Louder than Bombs, and Neil Jordan for the 20th anniversary celebration of Michael Collins.

The Festival is delighted to announce a brand new Fantastic Flicks season of family films, featuring classics such as Beauty and the Beast, exciting studio animations Kung Fu Panda 3 and Zootropolis, the hilarious live action Antboy films from Denmark, Norwegian drama Brothers, and Simon Fitzmaurice’s life-affirming My Name is Emily.

ADIFF will showcase international award-winning cinema including Golden Globe winner Mustang, Cannes Grand Prix winner Son of Saul, London Film Festival Best Film winner Desierto, Berlin International Film Festival Best Feature winner Nasty Baby, and Miguel Gomes’ multi-award-winning Arabian Nights trilogy. In addition there are Irish premieres of the Coen brothers’ Hail Caesar!, Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa, Toronto International Film Festival opener Demolition, Jaco Van Dormael’s hilarious Brand New Testament, and the soon to be cult crime/horror Green Room.

The strength of Irish film is evident throughout the programme: Irish premieres of Rebecca Daly’s Mammal, Declan Recks’ The Truth Commissioner, and debut features Staid, and Traders starring Killian Scott. Thought provoking Irish documentaries will investigate people and place – Johnny Gogan’s Hubert Butler: Witness to the Future, Atlantic from the makers of The Pipe, an exploration of Irish poetry Fís na Fuiseoige, the story of Irish missionary ‘deserters’ The Judas Iscariot Lunch, and Reel Art documentaries Further Beyond and We Are Moving – Memories of Miss Moriarty. The Festival continues to champion Irish filmmakers with the Discovery Award, which seeks to encourage new and emerging talent by selecting 15 filmmakers from actors to directors, producers and writers to profile and support.

The marriage of film and music runs throughout the Festival, from Miles Ahead, the documentary celebrating the legendary Miles Davis, to Agnieszka Smoczynska’s genre defying ‘musical horror’ The Lure. There are also a number of special events: Oscar winning composer Jan A. P. Kaczmarek presents a seminar on Composing for Film, while film preservationist Serge Bromberg returns to the Festival with a new live score to accompany a screening of Buster Keaton.

One of the Festival strengths is discovering exciting new films from around the world and bringing the filmmakers to Dublin to discuss their work. This year there are gems from Romania with guests director Tudor Giurgiu in Dublin with his legal thriller Why Me, and Lucile Hadžihalilovic with her beautiful Évolution, Margarethe Von Trotta’s meditation on sisterhood The Misplaced World, and Michal Rogalski to discuss his coming-of-age drama Summer Solstice.

Special events throughout the Festival include industry masterclasses, seminars on wide ranging topics from scriptwriting to adapting texts, capturing history on film to festival programming. The Festival literally goes global this year with an innovative and very special outreach programme, Dublin Here, Dublin There, that will see the Festival short film programme screened in towns and villages in the US that share the name Dublin! Audi Dublin International Film Festival will celebrate Stills photography with a fascinating exhibition by Festival photographer Pat Redmond in the beautiful setting of the Irish Georgian Society.  Pat Redmond, 25 Years is a captivating gallery of the many world-class filmmakers who have attended the Festival. There will also be a #SetLife exhibition in The Light House Cinema, illuminating images of the inner workings and special moments that happen behind the camera.

Richard Molloy, Head of Marketing at Audi Ireland, said:

“It’s fantastic to launch the Audi Dublin International Film Festival programme. The depth, variety and diverse nature of the 2016 programme demonstrate why this festival is one of the most important cultural events in Ireland. The programme encourages visitors to experience the best in film-making. We’re really excited to bring ADIFF, and the Audi brand, to a wider audience and engage with some of the world’s most talented actors and filmmakers. Both Audi and the Dublin International Film Festival share a drive for creativity and innovation, as well as an enduring passion for the art and craft of filmmaking.”

 

Audi Dublin International Film Festival Box Office

DIFF House

13 Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin 1

Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 10am–6pm, Sun (from 18^th Feb) 12pm–6pm

There will be pop-up box offices in place at each venue from 30 minutes prior to each screening

Phone: 01 687 7974

Email: info@diff.ie

Website: www.diff.ie