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Award-Winning Virtual Reality Studio Wevr Adds Sundance Selection ‘IF NOT LOVE’ and Tribeca Selection ‘Auto’ to Transport Platform

Wevr, the award-winning virtual reality studio and content distributor, today announced the upcoming release of two critically acclaimed VR experiences on its Transport platform:

  • IF NOT LOVE — A tragic account of the consequences of hatred and intolerance, written and directed by Rose Troche—the renowned film, television and new media writer, director, and producer behind the groundbreaking films Go Fish and The Safety of Objects, and the cultural touchstone, The L-Word.

  • Auto — A speculative fiction about the problematic role of a ‘safety driver’ in a future self-driving taxi from filmmaker Steven Schardt, the independent producer and director whose films include Humpday, Your Sister’s Sister, and Treatment.

Both experiences—which premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2017 and Tribeca Film Festival 2017, respectively—are Wevr’s first acquisitions to be fully produced outside of the company, and kick off a larger move to position Transport as the premiere destination for all VR creators and independent filmmakers looking to showcase their narrative and experiential VR works.

“We chose Rose Troche’s ‘IF NOT LOVE’ and Steven Schardt’s ‘Auto’ because both simulations, grounded in compelling characters, tell complex stories about our current sociopolitical environment while simultaneously pushing the visual and structural language of live-action VR,” says Wevr director of development and acquisitions James Kaelan. “We couldn’t be prouder that these are the first two independent productions we’ve acquired for Transport.”

“I am thrilled to have ‘IF NOT LOVE’ on Transport,” said Rose Troche, writer and director of “IF NOT LOVE.” “We make my work with the hope of having a wide and diverse audience, so I’m very excited for this release.”

“Bravely, Wevr’s Transport now supports independent cinematic VR in an emerging medium already crowded by games and branded content,” says Steven Schardt, writer and director of “Auto.” “With ‘Auto,’ Wevr not only continues its pioneering engagement with new technologies, but also promotes the frank consideration of their human consequences.”

By distributing their work on Transport, artists receive access to the widest possible audience available in this burgeoning industry, as well as licensing fees, artistic freedom, and promotion of their work. The company is currently seeking out additional creative, award-winning VR experiences to add to Transport in hopes of bringing the best virtual reality experiences to the masses—and allowing the virtual reality industry, still in its early stages, to further evolve.

“Our goal with Transport is to give talented creatives from all different backgrounds and media a place to share their work with the world,” says Anthony Batt, co-founder and EVP of Wevr. “We want the VR community to know that Transport is where they can distribute their simulations to the widest possible audience, with the support of the Wevr team.”

“IF NOT LOVE” and “Auto” will both be available for download and viewing on the Wevr Transport platform later this year.

 

About Wevr:

Wevr creates award-winning VR experiences and is the studio behind Wevr Transport™, an independent virtual reality content network for VR creators and their audiences. Wevr’s flagship title, theBlu: Season 1, is a top selling room-scale VR experience from director Jake Rowell, and is lauded as one of VR’s “must-do” experiences. Wevr’s content has been featured at Sundance Film Festival, Cinequest, and Tribeca Film Festival, which this year saw the debut of Arjan van Meerten’s apocalyptic music video, Apex. Other popular experiences include Jon Favreau’s Gnomes & Goblins (co-produced with Reality One), Deepak Chopra’s Finding Your True Self, Run The Jewels’ Crown, Reggie Watt’s Waves, Samsung and Skybound Entertainment’s GONE, and Adult Swim’s Virtual Brainload. Wevr was founded by Neville Spiteri, Anthony Batt, and Scott Yara, and is based in Venice, California.

About “IF NOT LOVE

A dance club pulses with bouncing, happy friends and lovers. Downstairs, a shooter courses the underbelly of the building, preparing to carry out a mission for the Lord. But when we slip back in time, we discover that this same man hooked up with another man. After the intimate encounter, he runs out of the room, filled with shame over who he is. But what if events unfolded differently? What if the man he hooked up with convinced him to stay – to face himself? Could that simple act have changed the course of history?

Rose Troche is a writer, director and producer in film, television and new media, and is known for her powerful storytelling on projects such as Go Fish, The L Word and Six Feet Under. Her previous VR pieces, Perspective Chapter One, The Party and Chapter 2, The Misdemeanor, also premiered at Sundance, and deal with timely difficult social realities such as date rape and police brutality. Rose’s consistent contribution and work within the film and LGBTQIA communities has proven her time and again a pioneer and visionary guiding film and new media into unchartered territory. Her thoughtful storytelling continues to inspire and provoke.

About “Auto

In the very near future, as self-driving taxis are becoming the norm, ‘safety drivers’ are employed to simply sit in the front seat, as a measure of comfort to passengers. But Musay, an Ethiopian immigrant driver with 40 years of experience, is not content to merely sit, and insists on driving. When he picks up a couple accustomed to the automated service, their frustration with Musay’s driving turns a routine ride into a microcosm of power dynamics and control in this new, imperfect economy.

Steven Schardt (Writer and Director), Megan Griffiths (Producer), Fred Beahm (Co-Producer, Editor), Jennessa West (Co-Producer) Nathan M. Miller (Cinematographer), and C. Andrew Rohrmann (Audio Director). Learn more on Twitter @evenardt.

Author: VR Reporter

I am a hi-tech enthusiast, VR evangelist, and a Co-founder & Chief Director at Virtual Reality Reporter!

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