fbpx Biennale Cinema 2023 | The Imaginary Friend
La Biennale di Venezia

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Cinema

The Imaginary Friend

Venice Immersive
Director:
Steye Hallema
Production:
Studio Biarritz (Corine Meijers), No Felix & Femke Wolting Submarine Channel Emmy Oost & An Oost Cassette for Timescapes
Running Time:
25’
Language:
English
Country:
Netherlands, Belgium
Main Cast:
Deni Welzijn, Jose Montoya, Shana Bossmann, Thomas Dudkiewicz, Myrna Versteeg
Screenplay:
Steye Hallema
Editor:
4DR Studio, Apvis Animation
Music:
Jens Bouttery
Sound:
Demute
Lead developer:Frank Bosma, Paul Staring
Lead designer:Koen Koopman
Designers:APVIS
Technical team:4DR Studios

Synopsis

The Imaginary Friend invites you to take part in the vivid imagination of Daniel, a grieving eight-year-old struggling with the line between reality and fantasy.
Become Daniel’s imaginary friend and let him share his world with you. Discover his joys and anxieties, even help him fight his demons head-on. However, as you spend time together, Daniel’s surroundings don’t quite understand. Why is he talking to himself? Is he crazy? When his father intends to fix him, Daniel needs to figure out his feelings before disconnecting from reality completely...
With its unique point of view in storytelling and the latest technical developments in VR, The Imaginary Friend presents an intimate experience unmatched in the VR landscape. Daniel sees, talks and interacts with you, allowing you to form a deeply personal bond with the boy.

Main Creator's Statement

The player will experience the whole story through the eyes of the Imaginary Friend. This role is a psychological lens of how the boy sees the world. This gives the player a very natural place in the story world, providing a psychological dream-like trip through a magical realistic story-world. The intimate relationship between Daniel and his imaginary friend is at the heart of the experience.
Although he made his imaginary friend up, Daniel doesn’t fully control him, just like no one really controls their subconsciousness. The player goes from a good happy friend to someone that might have a bad influence on him. From someone he desperately needs, to someone that he is ready to let go of. Daniel practises friendship, grows and eventually learns to trust himself.
This is what I believe imagination is for: to solve our problems. Any bright future can only be built on our imagination, the imagination that helps us conquer our fears.

Trailer

Production/Distribution

PRODUCTION 1: Corine Meijers - Studio Biarritz
Hooghiemstraplein, 128
3514 AZ – Utrecht, Netherlands
Tel. +31 648017642
info@studiobiarritz.nl
http://www.studiobiarritz.nl

PRODUCTION 2: Emmy Oost – Cassette for timescapes
Schuurstraat, 39
9040 – Ghent, Belgium
Tel. +32 486590713
an@timescapes.be
http://www.timescapes.be/films

PRODUCTION 3: Bruno Felix – Submarine Channel
Ariel Biemondstraat, 111
1054 PD – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tel. +31 208204940
info@submarinechannel.com
http://www.submarinechannel.com/

PRESS OFFICE: Corine Meijers - Studio Biarritz
Hooghiemstraplein, 128
3514 AZ – Utrecht, Netherlands
Tel. +31 648017642
corine@studiobiarritz.nl


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Biennale Cinema
Biennale Cinema