Experiencing Interruptions?

Emperor

***Please note that the submitted video file is only a screener and do not reflect the immersive and interactive component of the experience***

EMPEROR is an interactive and narrative experience in virtual reality, which invites the user to travel inside the brain of a father who is suffering from aphasia.
Alongside his daughter, we journey into the father’s mental space—imagined as a hand-drawn, monochrome landscape—as she seeks to learn more about his inner self, now obscured by illness.

  • Marion Burger
    Director
  • Ilan J. Cohen
    Director
  • Marion Burger
    Writer
  • Ilan J. Cohen
    Writer
  • Oriane Hurard
    Producer
    Isle of the Dead, Meet Mortaza, Missing Pictures, The Passengers VR
  • Olivia Cooke
    Key Cast
  • Vimala Pons
    Key Cast
  • Daniel Balage
    Art Direction
  • Ferdinand Dervieux
    UX & Game designers
  • Darius Guernet
    UX & Game designers
  • Rym Ouenzar
    Developers
  • Nathan Pflier
    Developers
  • Thibaud Samson
    Developers
  • Mathieu Rous de Madinhac
    Lead 3D
  • Gaël Chaize
    3D artists
  • Valentin Kasprzyk
    3D artists
  • Bastien Cocquempot
    3D artists
  • Jamie Turner
    Music composer
  • Gaspar Claus
    Music composer
  • Côme Jalibert
    Sounds designer
  • Pierre Boulaton
    Project manager / Supervisor
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Empereur
  • Project Type:
    Virtual Reality, Interactive Film
  • Genres:
    Drama, Documentary, Illness, Family
  • Minimum Runtime:
    30 minutes
  • Maximum Runtime:
    40 minutes
  • Average Runtime:
    35 minutes
  • Variable Runtime Details:
    depending on how long it takes the user to complete the requested interactions
  • Completion Date:
    September 30, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    France
  • Language:
    English, French, German
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Venice Immersive
    Venice
    Italy
    August 30, 2023
    World premiere
    Achievement Prize at Venice International Film Festival 2023
  • IDFA
    Amsterdam
    Netherlands
    November 8, 2023
    European Premiere
    Doc Lab Spotlight
  • SXSW
    Austin, Texas
    United States
    March 9, 2024
    North American Premiere
    XR Experience Audience Award
  • Fipadoc
    Biarritz
    France
    January 19, 2024
    French Premiere
    Fipadoc Smart
  • Clermont International Short Film Festival
    Clermont-Ferrand
    France
    February 2, 2024
    Best VR Film
  • Stereopsia
    Brussels
    Belgium
    October 18, 2023
    European XR Awards 2023 - Best User Design Experience
  • Belfast XR Festival

    Official selection
  • Luxembourg City Film Festival

    In competition
  • Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival

    Immersive Golden Alexander Award
  • International Festival of Animated Films (ANIFILM)

    Official selection
  • Webby Awards

    AI, Metaverse & Virtual - Best Narrative Experience nominated
  • NewImages Festival

    XR Competition
  • DOK.fest München

    VR Pop Up Kino
Distribution Information
  • Astrea
    Distributor
    Country: France
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Marion Burger, Ilan J. Cohen

MARION BURGER:
Born in France in 1987, Marion Burger is a production designer on several feature films including Divines by Houda Benyamina (Caméra d’or 2016), Gagarine by Jérémy Trouilh and Fanny Liatard (Cannes 2020) and more recently Mother and Son by Léonor Serraille (Cannes 2022). On this occasion, she has been awarded the Young Film Technician Prize for her work. Based on her personal story, Emperor marks her directorial debut.

ILAN J. COHEN:
Born in France in 1984, Ilan has been working as a first assistant director since 2008 (including Noaz Deshe’s White Shadow, Lodge Kerrigan’s Rebecca H., and Bertrand Bonello’s Sarah Winchester) while pursuing his own screenwriting and directing music videos (Rone, Gaspar Claus).

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Director Statement

EMPEROR is born from a true story. The story of Marion’s father, who has been suffering from aphasia for the past fifteen years. He confuses words, and stumbles over each syllable. He understands everything, but can no longer make himself understood.

More than the medical aspect of his condition, she was interested in the poetry of some of the absurd situations which she had sometimes encountered. One day she found herself comparing aphasia to a distant country. She could see him lost in this faraway land, trying to find his bearings, attempting to be understood. This idea helped her imagine his distress, and a bridge to try to reach him. But in order to grasp what he was trying to say, she’d have to delve into the man he had once been.
EMPEROR is at once a deeply personal story, and a universal reminder of the frail threads which keep us tethered to one another.

Marion Burger & Ilan J. Cohen