For the first time in New York’s Lower East Side, the world has a chance to experience Jump Into VR Fest, a premier film festival striving to bring cutting edge VR/VX (virtal reality/extended reality) developments to light through showcases, performances, parties, workshops, product launches, demos, and panels — and the New York Film Academy is proud to congratulate two alumnae and one faculty member who showcased their work amongst the thought leaders and industry changes who are shaking the world through VR.
NYFA 8-Week Narrative VR Workshop alumni Na “Melody” Liu and Ana Paula Loureiro Da Silva both screened films made as a part of their NYFA studies at the inaugural festival (“Praying From Afar” and “The Drummer”), while NYFA VR instructor Martina Casas will also present an original film (“Hope after Devastation”). NYFA faculty member Skye Von was also doubly featured at Jump Into VR Fest, both through the premier of her interactive VR experience “No Apologies,” and as a panel moderator for the topic “Braving an Uncharted Path: A Spotlight on VR Creators.”
“I am really excited about the Festival! It is a great opportunity to have a VR film that I directed and edited being showcased here in NY,” shared NYFA alumna Ana Paula Loureiro Da Silva, director and creator of “The Drummer.” Reflecting on her studies at NYFA, Ana continued, “I wouldn’t imagine that in eight weeks I could learn and produce so many things. I was looking for something to change my life and my career. I think it was the perfect choice. I highly recommend.”
According to Jump Into VR Fest Project Manager Alexandre Girardeau, “Through Jump Into VR Festival, we aim to build momentum for experiential technologies while carving out space for critical thinking over entertainment.”
From Sept. 15-17, Jump Into VR Fest occupied Jump Into the Light’s Orchard Street location as well as the nearby Hotel Indigo, transforming the spaces into a veritable VR wonderland featuring room scale and multi-player arena VR/XR experiences (HTC Vive, Oculus, Hololens), demo booths, and a CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment), art installations, and more.