Shadowtime

Shadowtime was part of IDFA program in 2023, and withdrawn by the filmmakers. Upon the request of the filmmakers, we publish the following text as received:

"This film was one of 12 to withdraw from participation at IDFA 2023, amongst 28 total withdrawals that included moderators, jury, and others in protest at the festival's damaging denunciation of an action in solidarity with Palestine that took place on the opening night of the festival. At the time, the festival erased all information relating to the films withdrawn in protest from the website. In response to the publication of the Palestine Film Institute's 'Industry Protocol in Times of Genocide' in August 2024, and as a gesture towards transparency, IDFA reinstated the information relating to the withdrawn films in September 2024. No further accountability has been taken.”  - The Palestine Film Institute on behalf of the filmmakers, for the full statement click here

Film Synopsis

VR users are always in two worlds at once: the physical and the digital. And so in Shadowtime, which blurs that clear boundary between reality and virtuality, you always inhabit two bodies—and at a certain point you also experience having four hands in augmented reality.

The VR begins its exploration with the first-ever virtual object: a digital cube. By moving the cube you can make all sorts of locations appear. They look realistic but are actually an additional, disorienting AI-generated factor. Another level of disorientation arises from the fact that it briefly seems like you are using the very first VR headset—a different one than the headset you are actually wearing.

The term “shadowtime” has its origins in discussions about the Anthropocene. It is used to describe the feeling of living in simultaneous but irreconcilable realities—like being in virtual reality and the climate crisis (something Shadowtime repeatedly reminds you about). Is the shadow world of VR just a hiding place, an escape from reality? Or is it the perfect context for learning about how to be in two places at once?

Presented in collaboration with Eye Xtended.
Supported by Onassis ONX Studios.