Enjoy a day of free interactive virtual reality experiences and all the fun of the fair in Mitcham this weekend.
Showcasing the latest immersive technologies, Mitcham VR Festival will be the culmination of FilmMerton, a year-long project aiming to encourage participation with film throughout the London Borough of Merton. This special one-off community event will bring cutting-edge VR entertainment to the heart of Merton.
The festival will showcase interactive virtual reality films, alongside 360-degree films, to give visitors the opportunity to engage with a broad range of immersive experiences; from sci-fi thrillers to romantic dramas, and documentary investigations to comedy flicks.
Starring Colin Farrell, Gloomy Eyes is the impossible love story of a zombie boy and a human girl, and a reflection on populism as an outlandish preacher oppresses the zombie community.
Narrated by Geraldine Chaplin, Memoria: Stories of La Garma allows viewers to explore the memories of a 16,500-year-old cave, once occupied by humans, which has been untouched and preserved for thousands of years.
The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets invites audiences to solve its mystery by exploring wonderful miniature worlds; and set in Victorian London, Kinch and the Double World brings the fantasy adventure to cinematic virtual reality.
Demonstrating the power of VR to connect us with the world around us, the festival will also see Judi Dench: My Oak Tree VR, allowing viewers to fly around and through the most impressive oak tree in Dench’s garden.
Emerging VR director, Samantha Kingston will showcase Anonymous, her immersive documentary and personal story of living with a alcoholdependent parent; hiding the secret and dealing with the death of that parent.
Also at the festival, All the Fun of the Fair will enable visitors to step into their local history through the technology of an augmented reality installation. With a unique soundscape and images springing to life on smartphones and tablets, All the Fun of the Fair will transport audiences back in time to the Mitcham Fair, rumoured to be the oldest fair in England.
Alongside this, a series of four short films, specially commissioned by FilmMerton, will premiere at the festival. These have all been produced in Merton and showcase work from both established and aspiring filmmakers; including aspiring filmmaker Matvi Khosho, a former asylum seeker brought up in Mitcham, highlighting the multicultural foundations of Merton with The Streets That Shape Us.
When: 7th March 2020
Where: General Giles Social Club, 12-16 Upper Green West, Mitcham, CR4 3AA
£: Free
More info: www.digitaldrama.org