SK Telecom to Broadcast Bucheon Film Festival's 'Talk with the Director' in VR

Exclusive Screening of 21 Films Submitted to Jump VR

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] The highlight of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), the ‘Director’s Talk,’ will be unveiled for the first time in Korea in a virtual space within the 5G-based ‘JumpVR’ social room.

SK Telecom announced on the 8th that the ‘Director’s Talk’ held at the 24th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival will be pre-recorded in the social room of ‘JumpVR’ and made available to the public during the festival. The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, held from the 9th to the 16th, will showcase 194 films from 42 countries.

Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which made it difficult for directors and audiences to meet and converse offline, SK Telecom prepared an untact conference featuring avatars based on virtual reality (VR) technology.

This ‘Director’s Talk’ was pre-produced on the 6th in two sessions at the social room within SK Telecom’s JumpVR, inviting eight directors and production staff from five films selected for BIFAN’s ‘Beyond Reality’ special screening.

The social room displayed the official BIFAN poster and the ‘Beyond Reality’ poster symbolizing the festival, creating an atmosphere as if attendees were at the festival site. The eight directors and production staff who entered the social room ran around inside the virtual cinema and engaged in conversations about the films through voice chat.

The first session of the ‘Director’s Talk’ featured Oh Sung, CEO of Mongjunghwa, director Park Yongje, director Lim Byunghan of Dreaming Maestro, and producer Kim Hyerim of Dream 205. The second session included creator Lee Seungmu, director Song Youngyun of the 360-degree VR cinema Rainfruits, director Sung Sihup of Attack of the Dad, art director Kim Haekyung, and cinematographer Kim Hyunok.

Director Park Yongje said, “It’s unfortunate not to see the audience in person on site, but I’m glad to meet them in a virtual space. It was a new and enjoyable experience.” Director Sung Sihup stated, “The Cannes Film Market was also conducted through an XR platform. I believe new social platforms like JumpVR represent the new future of film festivals.”

The ‘Director’s Talk’ held in the virtual world will be available on the ‘JumpVR’ mobile app during the festival period.

SK Telecom will exclusively screen 21 VR films submitted to this festival on ‘JumpVR’ until the end of August. Users can access ‘JumpVR’ through HMD devices such as Oculus Go or Gear VR and watch all 21 VR films submitted to the festival for free.

‘Attack of the Dad’ is a fantastic story about a father who is sucked into a dollhouse while searching for his daughter. ‘Rainfruits’ depicts the alienation and injustice felt by ‘Tura,’ a foreign worker who came from Myanmar to work in Korea.

Jeon Jinsu, head of SK Telecom’s 5GX Service Business Division, said, “We are pleased to showcase the VR films submitted to the festival through JumpVR,” adding, “The JumpVR virtual social room will become a new communication platform for VR film creators and fans, providing a new experience in cultural consumption.”