WASHINGTON — Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton is set to narrate a virtual reality experience, which will premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in September 2021.
“Goliath: Playing With Reality,” from United Kingdom-based Anagram Studios and Paris production company Floreal Films, will be a 25-minute animated Virtual Reality experience, as per reports.
It will be directed by Barry Gene Murphy and May Abdalla and will explore the weight of mental illness, particularly schizophrenia, through dialogue and symbolic visuals.
“Through mind-bending animation, GOLIATH: PLAYING WITH REALITY explores the limits of reality in this true story of so-called ‘schizophrenia’ and the power of gaming communities,” read the details on the website.
Swinton will voice the role of Echo, a character who spent years isolating in mental health institutions and now finds connections in multiplayer games.
“Echo guides you through the many realities of Goliath, a man who spent years isolated in psychiatric institutions but finds connection in multiplayer games. Combining heartfelt dialogue, mesmerizing visuals, and symbolic interactions, weave through multiple worlds to uncover Goliath’s poignant story,” said the website.
“Goliath is an exploration of the places we choose to feel safe in and what it means to experience someone else’s reality,” said the directors in a joint statement.
“Through the use of VR (virtual reality) technology, we immerse users in a world where things aren’t as they seem in an effort to unpack our preconceptions and prejudices around mental health and the shame engendered by psychiatric disorders.”
“Tilda brought an understanding and otherworldly gravitas that lifted the character of Echo and the experience out of the ordinary. We hope her collaboration brings new audiences to the medium and, with it, a deeper awareness of the subject matter of Goliath.”
Anagram Studios is known for “The Collider” and “Door in the Dark” and has been previously recognized for achievements in Virtual Reality at Venice, Italy, and Tribeca Film Festival in New York, United States.
Funded partially by Oculus VR for Good by Facebook Reality Labs, “Goliath: Playing With Reality” is an enterprise intended to back content creators who perceive Virtual Reality (VR) as a way to help others.
Part support was also provided by Creative XR, Arts Council England and the Digital Catapult; The British Film Institute and the National Lottery; Centre National du Cinéma et de L’image Animée; and the StoryFutures Academy.
Goliath will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 1, 2021, before becoming available for the Oculus Quest store on Sept. 9, 2021, as per reports.
On the film front, Swinton last appeared in Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s 2021 English-Spanish drama film “Memoria.” The film also featured Elkin Diaz, Jeanne Balibar, and Juan Pablo Urrego.
She will next be seen in Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” which will be released on Oct. 22, 2021. The film will also feature Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elisabeth Moss, and Jeffrey Wright.
Swinton will also star in “The Eternal Daughter,” “Pinocchio,” “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” and Wes Anderson’s untitled film.
(With inputs from ANI)
Edited by Ojaswin Kathuria and Nikita Nikhil
