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NEWS: VRAL SEASON FOUR

VRAL is set to unveil its highly anticipated fourth season of exhibitions this coming Friday, promising an immersive experience of avant-garde, cutting-edge, and unclassifiable game-based video art from both established artists and emerging talents.

In the midst of a global pandemic, VRAL emerged as a cutting-edge, carefully curated game video experience, featuring a selection of machinima crafted by artists and filmmakers who operate at the intersection of video art, cinema, animation, and gaming. The program showcases only the most exceptional machinima, chosen for their cultural significance, artistic merit, and bold stylistic choices.

Often relegated to the margins of new media art festivals, film retrospectives, and exhibitions, these works represent the full spectrum of innovation and creativity that can be found in game-based video practices. Serving as an online portal that grants access to a diverse range of voices that complement and expand upon the Milan Machinima Festival, an annual retrospective that takes place at IULM University and at the Interactive Museum of Cinema in Milan, Italy, VRAL heralds a new generation of digital filmmakers and artists. The project features exclusive interviews, image galleries, and an extensive archive. The curators' ultimate objective is to deepen and broaden our understanding of machinima as an art form.

Since Spring 2020, we have curated three seasons comprising 64 shows overall and published two catalogs (the third volume is forthcoming). For S04, we have assembled a roster of established and emerging artists whose work embodies the avant-garde spirit and pushes the boundaries of what is possible in the world of game-based video art. Whether you are a longtime fan of VRAL or a newcomer to the world of game-based video art, this is an event that we hope you’ll find interesting, stimulating, and unexpected.

VRAL is an independent project and it is not supported by either sponsors or advertising. We do greatly appreciate however, community support through Patreon. To become a supporter and enjoy a series of benefits including exclusive interviews, videos, articles, and more, click here.

Don't miss this opportunity to explore the forefront of machinima and witness the future of contemporary visual culture.

See you tomorrow,

Matteo Bittanti

NEWS: MMF MMXXII DISPATCH #4

Hello everyone,

My name is Matteo Bittanti and I am the artistic director of the Milan Machinima Festival, which showcases game-based video art at the end of the end of history.

On behalf of the entire curatorial staff, I am happy to reveal additional details about the fifth edition, which will take place between March 21st and 27th 2022.

As you know, the Festival’s programs feature both machinima that were submitted through an open call process and evaluated by an international panel, and a series of curated programs focusing on specific themes. For more information, please watch the previous dispatch.

In regard to this year’s submitted works I wanted to share some interesting facts.

First, a significant number of submissions were from first-time filmmakers and often qualify as student projects. This is great news: it means that machinima is evolving as a medium and an artform, especially in art schools throughout the world. But what do I mean by “world”?

WEll, compared to previous years, the vast majority of entries were submitted from just three countries: Italy, the US, and the UK. Aside from a limited number of works, most entries are either in English or in Italian with English subtitles. We are actively seeking out additional hubs and creative hot spots to diversify the selection in the future. At the same time, we do recognize that machinima as a genre of video art is especially strong in the United States, in the United Kingdom and in Europe.

Third, gender-wise, this year the filmmakers are more or less split between those who identify as "male" and as "female". This is remarkable because it demonstrates that machinima is a much more inclusive medium than the video game, which constitutes its main source material, so to speak, but also of cinema, which is still dominated by filmmakers who identify as “male”.

Finally, the acceptance rate to the Milan Machinima Festival is less than 25%. Another way of saying this is that more than 75% of submitted machinima are rejected. I hope that this does not sound discouraging to aspiring machinimamakers. On the contrary, far from being problematic, these statistics confirm that the quality, creativity, and originality of machinima have been consistently growing in the past decade and that benchmarks are constantly being updated.

Today I am happy to announce the artists featured in the MMXXII edition of the Festival. This list does not include special screenings that will be announced in another dispatch.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my profound admiration to all the artists and filmmakers for their incredible talent, passion and dedication. The Festival is meant as a celebration of their craft and ingenuity.

Without any further ado here is the 2022 artist line up:

  • Darío Alva (Spain)

  • Lorenzo Antei (Italy)

  • Nicolas Bailleul (France)

  • David Blandy (United Kingdom)

  • Beatrice Carpina (Italy)

  • Sam Crane (United Kingdom)

  • Federica di Pietrantonio (Italy)

  • Marie Foulston and The Grannies (United Kingdom/Australia)

  • Jamie Janković (United Kingdom)

  • Steffanie Padilla (United States)

  • Juan Poyuan (Taipei)

  • Giulio Piacentini (Italy)

  • Kelly Rabbachin (Italy)

  • Phil Rice (United States)

  • Sjors Rigters (The Netherlands)

  • Sara Sadik (France)

  • Paolo Santagostino (Italy)

  • Jordy Veenstra (The Netherlands)

  • Cris Ubermann (France)

  • Matthias Wolf (Germany)

And here’s the breakdown by country

  • Italy 7

  • United Kingdom 4

  • France 3

  • The Netherlands 2

  • United States 2

  • Australia 1

  • Germany 1

  • Spain 1

  • Taipei 1

For more information about the Milan Machinima Festival please visit the official website.

Stay tuned for more and thank you for your attention.

NEWS: FULL LINE-UP REVEAL

MMF 2020 Copy 5-3.png

We are delighted to announce the full program of the 2020 MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL.

The event takes place between March 09-13 2020 at IULM University in two separate locations: the Contemporary Exhibition Hall and the Sala dei 146, both located in the IULM Open Space building. Both venues are open to the public, but we kindly encourage attendees to register for the screening on Friday March 13 2020 in the Sala dei 146 as seats are limited.

Each day features a different program. The festival is bookended by two sections titled GAME VIDEO ESSAY A (March 09 2020) and B (March 13 2020), after a successful run in the 2019 event of the same title. From Tuesday until Thursday we will present an indepth look at four artists whose daring, groundbreaking, unclassifiable work has redefined the aesthetics of machinima: Larry Achiampong, David Blandy, Jacky Connolly, and Oscar Wagenmans in the context of the Contemporary Exhibition Hall. These works have never been presented before in Italy.

The festival concludes on Friday March 13 with The Weird, The Eerie, and The Unreal, which includes a selection of the most impressive works submitted this year and evaluated by our international jurors. During the screening, we will announce the 2020 Critics’ Award.

SCHEDULE

Monday March 09 2020

GAME VIDEO ESSAY A

Contemporary Exhibition Hall (IULM OPEN SPACE)

09:00 - 19:00 Free Entry

Tuesday March 10 2020

FOCUS: SAVEME OH

Contemporary Exhibition Hall (IULM OPEN SPACE)

09:00 - 19:00 Free Entry

Wednesday March 11 2020

FOCUS: JACKY CONNOLLY

Contemporary Exhibition Hall (IULM OPEN SPACE)

09:00 - 19:00 Free Entry

Thursday March 12 2020

FOCUS: LARRY ACHIAMPONG & DAVID BLANDY

Contemporary Exhibition Hall (IULM OPEN SPACE)

09:00 - 19:00 Free Entry

Friday March 13 2020

GAME VIDEO ESSAY B

Sala dei 146 (IULM OPEN SPACE)

09:00 - 19:00 Free Entry

Friday March 13 2020

THE WEIRD, THE EERIE, THE UNREAL

Sala dei 146 (IULM OPEN SPACE)

18:00 - 20:00 Please RSVP

Click here to read the full program


MMF 2020 Copy 5-2.png

Siamo lieti di annunciare il programma completo del MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL 2020.

L'evento si svolge dal 09 al 13 marzo 2020 presso l'Università IULM in due sedi separate: la Contemporary Exhibition Hall e la Sala dei 146, entrambe situate nell'edificio IULM Open Space. Le sedi sono aperte al pubblico, ma invitiamo i visitatori a registrarsi per la proiezione di venerdì 13 marzo 2020 nella Sala dei 146, poiché i posti sono limitati. Si prega di notare che ogni giorno è previsto un programma diverso. Il festival è incorniciato da GAME VIDEO ESSAY A (09 marzo 2020) e B (13 marzo 2020), dopo il successo dell'esperienza nel 2019.

Da martedì a giovedì presenteremo uno sguardo approfondito su quattro artisti il cui lavoro innovativo ha ridefinito l'estetica del machinima: Larry Achiampong, David Blandy, Jacky Connolly e Oscar Wagenmans nel contesto della Contemporary Exhibition Hall. Queste opere non sono mai state presentate in Italia prima d’ora.

Il festival si conclude venerdì 13 marzo con The Weird, The Eerie e The Unreal, che comprende una selezione delle opere più significative presentate quest'anno e valutate dai nostri giurati internazionali. Durante la proiezione, verrà annunciato il Premio della Critica 2020.

CALENDARIO

Lunedì 09 marzo 2020

GAME VIDEO ESSAY A

Contemporary Exhibition Hall (IULM OPEN SPACE)

09:00 - 19:00 Ingresso gratuito

Martedì 10 marzo 2020

FOCUS: SAVEME OH

Contemporary Exhibition Hall (IULM OPEN SPACE)

09:00 - 19:00 Ingresso gratuito

Mercoledì 11 marzo 2020

FOCUS: JACKY CONNOLLY

Contemporary Exhibition Hall (IULM OPEN SPACE)

09:00 - 19:00 Ingresso gratuito

Giovedì 12 marzo 2020

FOCUS: LARRY ACHIAMPONG & DAVID BLANDY

Contemporary Exhibition Hall (IULM OPEN SPACE)

09:00 - 19:00 Ingresso gratuito

Venerdì 13 marzo 2020

GAME VIDEO ESSAY B

Sala dei 146 (IULM OPEN SPACE)

09:00 - 19:00 Ingresso gratuito

Venerdì 13 marzo 2020

THE WEIRD, THE EERIE, THE UNREAL

Sala dei 146 (IULM OPEN SPACE)

18:00 - 20:00 Registrazione richiesta

Cliccate qui per leggere il programma completo