The Virtual Reality competition included five VR projects, with Veljko and Milivoj Popović’s Dislocation taking home the award.

“This powerful and timely narrative captures the fear and desperation experienced by many refugees. Having the narrative be driven by the physical act of stepping into this person’s experience and fragmenting memories of home, made the experience feel that much more potent, especially at a time where many countries are becoming increasingly hostile and antipathetic towards refugees and immigrants,” said the jury’s statement.

Other projects competing in the same category were Canaria (dir: Kazuki Yuhara) from Japan, The Book of Distance (dir: Randall Okita) from Canada, The Hangman at Home (dir. Michelle and Uri Kranot) from Denmark, and The Orchid and the Bee (dir. Frances Adair McKenzie), also from Canada.

The VR project Dislocation problematizes the very current theme of the state of fear. Dislocation refers to the forceful removal of people from their homes and daily lives due to cataclysmic events, while the film offers an experience of the emotions that take hold when people find themselves in such extremely dire circumstances. The film follows the protagonist around various locations, from a beach on the coast of Greece, or a desert on the border between Mexico and the US, to a forest in the Balkans.   

Veljko and Milivoj Popović’s project was created using 2D and 3D animation and motion capture technology, in collaboration with dancer Alen Čelić and choreographer Nikolina Dolfić.

Dislocation is produced by Croatian company Prime Render studio, made in co-production with French company Bagan Films. Veljko Popović and Milivoj Popović produced the film, along with Patrick Hernandez and Veronique Siegel as co-producers. 

Bonobostudio is in charge of distribution, also acting as the film’s sales representative, while the VR project was created with support from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre and the City of Split.

The list of all Ottawa IAF winners is available here. 

The Ottawa International Animation Festival, Canada, is one of the most important festivals of animation in the world. The festival was held Sept, 23 – Oct, 4, however, this year it took place online. The festival received 1950 submissions from 84 countries, of which 98 were selected for screening in different competition programmes. 

In addition to Dislocation, Croatian animated short Cockpera, directed by Kata Gugić screened in the student film competition.

For more information about Ottawa International Animation Festival, visit the festival’s official website. 

Cover photographs: scenes from VR project Dislocation