Canadian VR Technology a Focus for MIPTV

TORONTO/MONTREAL: Three innovative Canadian virtual reality (VR) productions will share the spotlight at this year’s MIPTV, thanks to an initiative spearheaded by the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Telefilm Canada.

Canadian VR producers will have the opportunity to share their expertise and showcase their productions to more than 10,000 international media industry leaders. As part of a session within the MIPTV Digital Fronts, the CMF and Telefilm will feature three projects: Liquid Cinema, which allows content producers to recreate experiences and tell stories that make users feel like they are part of the story; Time Machine VR, part film, part game; and The Unknown Photographer, a production that brings WWI back to the forefront through fragments of a war photographer’s memory.

Alongside the three featured projects, the CMF and Telefilm will exhibit an additional three Canadian VR productions at the MIPTV Canada Pavilion: Infiltration by Montreal’s Urbania Studio; Nomads: Sea Gypsies by Montreal’s Felix & Paul Studios; and Cardboard Crash by the NFB’s Vancouver Digital Studios.

Valerie Creighton, the president and CEO of the CMF, said: “Canadian companies are at the forefront of digital media innovation. Thanks to the reputation of Canadian digital media content, the expertise acquired by producers, and a funding ecosystem that supports innovation and creative storytelling, Canada is positioned to benefit enormously from the growing global market in VR. Showcasing the quality of fully immersive productions and VR technology coming out of Canada at events such as MIPTV is key in helping Canadian producers grab a considerable share of this high-growth market.”

“We’re seeing nearly boundless applications for Canadian VR, from technology that will impact the way we experience content to fully immersive games that take us back millions of years, to cultural VR applications showcasing priceless national heritage; these projects exemplify Canada’s position in the global VR market as a thought leader and innovator,” added Carolle Brabant, executive director at Telefilm Canada.