Film/Gaming - Goliath: Playing with Reality

With its focus on gaming and mental health, Goliath: Playing with Reality interactive VR experience has won Best Virtual Reality Immersive Work at The Venice International Film Festival. Watch the trailer ...

Winning the VR Expanded Grand Jury Prize for Best Virtual Reality Immersive Work, the highest recognition for the category, this is a 25-minute animated VR experience created and produced by Anagram and co-produced by Floréal Films, that explores the limits of reality, demonstrates the weight of mental illness, and lauds the supportive power of the gaming community. The VR experience made its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in the VR Expanded immersive competition and is now available for free on Oculus.

"The award we received tonight will mean that Goliath's story reaches a far wider audience and we hope the experience encourages compassion and respect for the courageous way people facing this condition are navigating the world," said co-creators May Abdalla and Barry Gene Murphy.

Goliath: Playing with Reality tells the true story of Jon, a man diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia who spent years in isolating mental health institutions, who finds connection in multiplayer games. Combining highly stylized low-poly animation and artful narration by Tilda Swinton with heartfelt dialogue and captivating visuals, this immersive VR experience sheds an empathetic light on the condition of schizophrenia.

It was made with the support of Oculus VR for Good an initiative designed to support content creators, impact innovators and inspire partners who see virtual reality as a way to make the world a better place; the British Film Institute (BFI) awarding funds from the National Lottery; Creative XR, Digital Catapult and the Arts Council England; Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée; StoryFutures Academy: The UK’s National Centre for Immersive Storytelling run by the National Film and Television School and Royal Holloway, University of London; and developed thanks to La Biennale di Venezia - Biennale College Cinema VR.

Image - Anagram