The best of virtual reality in a changing world : Be part of VR Arles Festival 2018!

Founded in 2016 by BNP Paribas, Fisheye and Rencontres d’Arles photography festival, VR Arles Festival fully immerses audiences in the best virtual reality productions on the planet. Following two highly successful previous events, the festival returns to Couvent Saint-Césaire in Arles between 2 July and 26 August 2018 for its third year.

VR Arles Festival aims to bring virtual reality cinema, documentary film and artistic creation into the spotlight. The festival forms an integral part of Rencontres d’Arles and will run for eight weeks.

In 2016 and 2017, the event demonstrated the value of there being a virtual reality festival during Rencontres d’Arles. VR Arles Festival aims to be at the forefront of virtual reality drama and documentary production and artistic creation. It encourages the public to discuss VR cinema by bringing VR auteurs, scriptwriters, directors and films to the fore. 

During the opening week, which will see celebrities from the worlds of art, cinema and virtual reality attend the event, a series of conferences will be held at Couvent Saint-Césaire to explore what could be possible in VR and a jury will award a prize to the best film.

The opening week from 2 to 8 July will be devoted to a competition judged by a jury that will meet in the Saint-Césaire centre. Actor Marie Gillain, President of the Jury, will be supported by Vincent Perez (actor and director), Charlotte Abramow (photographer and director), Christopher Miles (Managing Director at the Palais de Tokyo arts centre in Paris), Christophe Ono-dit-Bio (author and Assistant Editorial Director at Le Point political and news magazine), Marie Guillaumont (Director of Content at TF1 and formerly the group’s Drama Commissioner) and James Thierrée (actor, theatre director, acrobat). 

Freely available headsets will enable the general public and professionals, assisted by demonstrators, to discover a selection of 17 VR films.

17 films will compete in four categories: 

• Création
• Drama
• Documentary
• Youth

BNP Paribas wants more than ever to support cinema through every stage of its development and to offer audiences new ways to enjoy film, such as virtual reality, through its partnership with mk2 VR and VR Arles Festival.