Parallel Events

The day-long masterclass will look into the history and contemporary practices of virtual reality (VR) Filmmaking from the beginning of three-dimensional imaging in the 1850s right down to the latest technological applications. The masterclass will be held on Saturday 5 April between 10:30-16:00 at CYENS Centre of Excellence in Nicosia, by distinguished director, screenwriter and multimedia artist Deniz Tortum, who will flesh out the process behind his practice. The masterclass is addressed to filmmakers, artists, technologists and people interested in virtual reality and immersive media. It includes a special screening of Tortum’s film Shadowtime. Limited number of seats. Enroll by 15 March: https://forms.gle/bNsgCtAKHFBsxrPu5

Deniz Tortum works in film and immersive media. Among his recent work, the feature documentary Phases of Matter (2020, IFFR) is set in a state-run teaching hospital in Istanbul;  the essay film Our Ark (2021, IDFA, codirected by Sister Sylvester) reflects our efforts to create a virtual replica of the real world, a virtual Noah’s Ark; and the VR film Shadowtime (2023, Venice Film Festival, codirected by Sister Sylvester) looks into the history of virtual reality and its relationship with the climate crisis. Between 2014 and 2020 Tortum worked as a researcher at the MIT Open Documentary Lab and MIT Transmedia Storytelling Initiative. In 2019, he was featured in Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. His work has screened internationally, including at the Venice Film Festival, SxSW, IFFR, IDFA, and at New York’s Museum of the Moving Image.