Experience – Brussels Virtual Reality Festival

The second edition of Brussels Virtual Reality Festival is here. Titled ‘Experience’, the festival is jointly organized by Cinema Galeries, UGC Belgium, screen.brussels, Immersia Films and Poolpio.com agency, as Belgium’s first virtual reality festival. It will take place from 21st to 25th of June at Cinema Galeries and The UGC de Brouckère.

As the organisers explain, Virtual Reality (VR) is a set of technologies (programs, components, terminals) that has one purpose – to make you feel on an other planet. For a few hours, you’ll be surrounded by objects or characters that doesn’t exists and it will feel like time is running differently! The viewer is no longer watching a movie facing a screen. He is literally plunged inside the movie or simulation by the help of VR glasses. Virtual reality is much more than a movie or video game viewed in a headset, it is a new audiovisual medium with its own language and forme of expression.

Last year, the EXPERIENCE festival gave the opportunity to the public to live the VR adventure, offering the trial of the glasses to discover the newest movies productions. This year, organizers are also thinking of going a step further – creating a real VR cinema – the first of its kind in Belgium. The goal is to give people a chance to live an intense and unique experience everyday. This trend is already happening worldwide, great authors like Alejandro G. Iñárritu presented his film ‘CARNE y ARENA’ at the Cannes festival using the new technic of VR. The famous musician Björk is also exploring VR possibilities for several years now.

What to expect this year? 

• 30 projects, 4 days of screenings, from June 21 to 25 at the Cinema Galeries and the UGC de Brouckère.
• from 14:00 to 20:00 – One hour sessions
• ticket prices: 8,80 € / Card UGC Unlimited accepted
• the festival will share the content developed by independent artists. Amateurs or curious are all invited to discover these new experiences
• the festival will also be the occasion for professional meetings organized on Wednesday 21 June. It will offer new features, such as Saturday midnight sessions devoted to genre films

More info and full program: Facebook page of the festival or the official website.