the story:
IF tells the story of Claudia and Josh, a couple who decide to go for IVF treatment when their hopes of naturally conceiving a baby fail. With their finances, relationships and bodies put under a microscope, they discover if their love for one another can carry them through.
IF is a VR feature film about Infertility made in 180VR and drawn from factual testimony of those who have been through or still going through their infertility journey. For the many who endure it, it is a personal and challenging experience only spoken of behind closed doors. The majority avoid the topic. Others simply do not understand. We want to break the taboo of infertility and start a conversation that impacts millions of people.
watch:
IF is currently touring selected international festivals. We highly recommend that IF is experienced using Oculus Go head sets. Our first previews will be launched at the Fertility Festival at the Barbican on the 3 May 2019 and ESHRE Vienna in June 2019 and at the Galway Film Fleadh.
the creators:
Dee Harvey is a writer-director specialising in immersive technology. She is a founder of Controvert, a company focused on using immersive and interactive technology to tell stories in new ways. Her follow up to IF is HeartBeat an animated verbatim documentary about miscarriage told in 360VR which was long listed for Sundance’s New Frontier Story Lab. She is also developing The Bomb, a story about Post Partum Depression told through augmented reality.
Chi Thai is a Vietnamese refugee and filmmaker. She has been a Cannes Lions finalist three times and her work has competed at Academy qualifying festivals. She is part of the Guiding Lights alumnus & listed in Creative England’s Top 50 companies. Chi is also a founding member of BEATS. Her recent work includes The Purple Plain (BFI), The Outer Circle (Pears Foundation), Civilised (Riff Raff / The Directors Bureau), Little Miss Sumo (BFI & Tribeca), Unseen (Directors UK) and Automat (Sky).
the process:
In 2017, Dee and Chi met at Reframed, a development Lab & residency for immersive storytelling at Lighthouse, an arts agency in Brighton. Back then, IF was known as Hope and was being incubated as a verbatim documentary told in virtual reality. Shortly after finishing the residency and for much of 2018, Dee and Chi starting amassing testimony from individuals & couples who had or were experiencing infertility, These testimonies we recorded, transcribed & studied.
In 2018, Google commissioned Dee & Chi to produce a scripted film specifically for 180VR drawn from their body of research. This project became IF. Everything that happens in IF is taken from factual testimony. In short, nothing happens in IF that did not happen to our research subjects. Our aim was to capture the humanity of the individuals we were learning from & their truths we have the privilege of sharing.
In scripting IF, our writers room included Nirpal Bhogal, Katie Boyles and Dee Harvey. The film stars Kerry Gooderson and Simon Lyshon. Filming was led by Mark Nutkins, with post production by Vision 3. The project was funded by Google, BFI Vision Award and Northern Irish Screen.
For more information contact: CHITHAI@ME.COM
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