The Film Fund DocLab Interactive Grant announced September 11 its 2024 winners, “marking a milestone by supporting an expanded selection of four exceptional projects this year,” IDFA DocLab writes.
The winning projects, spanning immersive installations, XR, and performance art, will have their world premieres at IDFA 2024 (November 14–24).
Netherlands Film Fund film consultant Michiel van Opstal comments on the selection: “This year, the committee has approved four projects. The selection stands out for its diversity, both in terms of themes and approaches to interaction. Some projects opt for a highly performative and physical form of engagement with the audience, while others take a more technological approach, where interaction is not at the forefront but serves the purpose of what the creators aim to convey or express. The committee is also very impressed by the high level of urgency reflected in the selected projects. Each one explores a pressing social issue in a unique way.”
Project descriptions
- Töngö Sondi by Ruben Cabenda A short, surreal animation exploring the deep connection between language, identity, and oppression, inspired by the Tower of Babel. Presented in an immersive installation, the animation portrays the loss of language as a symbol of losing identity. Cabenda powerfully captures the legacy of colonialism in this intense and thought-provoking work.
- The Liminal by Alaa Minawi Alaa Minawi’s The Liminal turns a simple wall into a powerful metaphor for division and unity. This installation invites visitors to listen through a wall that, while symbolizing separation, actually harbours a vibrant community thriving within. By placing your ear against the wall, you can hear the hidden life of those who decided to leave the current world with all its oppressive systems. Inspired by Arab Futurism, Minawi challenges us to imagine a world where all borders and partitions combine into the largest state on earth—one that those who no longer want to be complicit in the current reality, were to claim it? The Liminal invites us to reconsider what lies beyond these walls and barriers, highlighting the strength and potential of those who live outside mainstream visibility.
- Future Botanica by Marcel van Brakel and Hazal Ertükan for POLYMORF POLYMORF challenges the outdated idea that nature and technology are at odds. This augmented reality app lets users design new ecosystems with AI and overlay these virtual worlds onto real landscapes. Through this interaction, Future Botanica encourages exploration of future scenarios for nature, reflecting our hopes, fears, and evolving perceptions. Known for their multisensory installations like Symbiosis and Famous Deaths, POLYMORF’s latest work invites you to engage with the merging of natural and technological realms in an engaging and interactive way.
- Me, a Depiction by Lisa Schamlé In Me, a Depiction, Lisa Schamlé uses a mirror and her own body to create an intimate and provocative performance. An installation piece that combines video, photography, and performance; this final piece of her trilogy on female sexuality—following Formula Cum (2023) and My Toe (uncensored), which premiered at IDFA in 2022—Schamlé reclaims her body by engaging directly with the audience through the mirror. She challenges societal objectification of women’s bodies and invites viewers to rethink self-image and empowerment. By looking back at the audience, Schamlé shifts the focus from judgment to a personal narrative of self-assertion and identity.
