The finalists of the LICHTER VR 360 Storytelling Award 2024 are:

Oneiro | Animation | Serbia 2023 | original language (English) | Length: 7 Min | Director: Milos Tasic

"How do I cook potatoes?" With such and similarly existential questions, the increasingly annoyed AI Oneiro must grapple with every second, coming from its human users. In its inner monologue, filled with strong profanity, which we are allowed to listen to in Oneiro, we learn a lot about the perspective of Artificial Intelligence on us humans. Even our complete extinction to protect the planet is considered but quickly dismissed because we are far too interesting... for now.

The restless, exceedingly candid stream of thoughts from Oneiro unfolds in a colorful fever dream that overwhelms us on a visual level as well. Don't forget to buckle up!

Milos Tasic studied at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts at the University of Belgrade and the Faculty of Applied Arts at the University of Niš. With a Master's degree in Film and Television Production and a Bachelor's degree with honours in Graphic Design, Miloš Tasić combines a wide range of skills and is active in the fields of directing, editing, visual effects, animation and sound design.

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Soil of Namib: VR | Documentation | Germany 2023 | original language with English subtitles | Length: 18 Min. | Director: Christian Zipfel

Soil of Namib: VR is a three-part VR documentary about illegal mining activities in Namibia that has originated in German colonial histories. We will feature episodes 2 and 3, which shed light on the historical contexts by having us take a risky descent in claustrophobic quarters with a group of miners in search of diamonds.

Christian Zipfel studied film directing at the ifs Cologne. During his studies, he released his first feature film "Magadan - City Built on Bones" about former Soviet prison camps in Siberia. His fictional historical graduation film "Der einsame Hof" premiered in competition at the 62nd International Film Festival Oberhausen and was nominated for the "First Steps" award. Christian transferred to the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF and studied documentary film directing there. He made films about German colonial crimes in Namibia for the Federal Foreign Office. At the same time, he developed a special interest in new media and eventually realised the VR work "ROOMS", which was nominated for the Black Lion at the 75th Venice Film Festival.

Since graduating, Christian has been working as a freelance director and author. Since 2021 he has been realising a volumetric testimony of Holocaust survivors.

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Drive Away | Short film | Germany 2023 | original language (English) | Length: 5 Min. | Director: Luise Palloks, Mascha Ermakova

A fate representing millions of refugees: A young woman attempts to flee her war-torn country by car. Short text messages from her worried father accompany her on her journey through Ukraine, heading towards the safety of the EU border. A silent film against forgetting, because a war still rages just a car journey away from us.

Luise Palloks is a 3D artist with a focus on immersive works, Mascha Ermakova is a game designer who incorporates her interest in classical painting into her visual concepts.

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21-22 China | Short film | Canada 2022 | original language (English) | Length: 23 Min. | Director: Thierry Loa

No country in the world has experienced a more dramatic transformation in the last few decades than China. Skyscraper complexes have shot up from the ground like mushrooms, and state-of-the-art architecture is lined up next to enormous industrial plants that have a seemingly immeasurable hunger for resources. 21-22 CHINA documents this development in atmospheric, fantastically-filmed aerial shots. We glide over landscapes that have been transformed beyond recognition - there it is, then; the Anthropocene, in all its oppressive glory.

Thierry Loa explores various visual and media disciplines and works on diverse projects such as video installations, narrative films, interactive cinema, design for new media and photography.

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GANGA | Documentation | India/USA 2023 | original language (English) | Length: 9 Min. | Director: Carol Liu

On the shores of the river, Ganges lies Varanasi, one of the oldest metropoles in the world. Though the river is still revered as a life-giving deity in public ceremonies, it also serves as a large waste dump. The Ganges is one of the largest plastic polluters of the world's oceans. A group of women take on the arduous task of cleaning up the trash. As members of the lowest caste, they receive neither support nor attention in their tasks.

Carol Liu is a filmmaker and entrepreneur specialising in immersive experiences. She is particularly interested in the untold stories of women and marginalised people, to whom she wants to give a voice through her productions.