Emphasizing Connection Over Competition, NewImages Is ‘Not Another Film Festival’
variety.comBen Croll In 2020, director Hsin-Chien Huang won the NewImages Festival‘s top prize for “Bodyless,” a dreamlike exploration of his own childhood growing up under Taiwanese martial law.
That year’s jury was led by French music producer and composer Jean-Michel Jarre – and sometime over the course of the festival the two men hit it off.
This year, the fast friends will return as creative partners and co-directors of “The Eye and I,” a visual and musical collaboration screening in NewImages’ competition and born of the festival’s wider goal to develop the immersive ecosystem in part by encouraging such outcomes. “Our mission is to connect people,” says festival director Michele Ziegler. “We’re always looking to expand our circle and build our community – and we hope more and more people will join.” Indeed, a bout of jury duty has proven to be a powerful motivator, as Jarre is hardly the first creative to make the leap.
Two years after her own stint on the NewImages jury, choreographer Blanca Li won Venice’s 2021 prize for best VR experience for her immersive dance piece “Le Bal de Paris,” while actor, filmmaker and 2022 NewImages juror Stéphane Foenkinos will return to Paris’ Forum des Images this year to present his augmented reality installation “Noire,” which world premiered last year at the Centre Pompidou.
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