SEOUL — "In the Realm of Ripley," a film directed by South Korean filmmaker Chae Soo-eung, also known professionally as Chuck Chae, has been officially selected for competition in the immersive section of the upcoming Venice Film Festival.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the film is among 64 projects from 25 countries participating in the Venice Immersive Section at the 81st edition of the festival, scheduled for August 28 to September 7. The interactive film, starring Jang Hyuk, Moon Joo-yeon, and Song Jae-hee, is set in the year 2080 and explores advanced memory storage technology. It follows a detective who enters the mind of a brain-dead boy to solve a murder. Aria Studio, the film's production company, released a statement saying the film demonstrates that "media is not just a vessel for storytelling but a crucial element of the experience." The Immersive section, established in 2017, is known for highlighting cutting-edge immersive arts and media, including virtual, mixed, and extended reality formats. This is not the first recognition for Chae at the Venice festival; his animated film "Buddy VR" won the Best Virtual Reality Experience award in 2018.