French animation director and artist Boris Labbé moves effortlessly from the animation festival world to the film festival world and its immersive extensions.

The author of 'Rhizome' (2015) and 'La Chute' (2018) won the Venice Immersive Grand Prize with his latest, 2024 (and first XR work), ‘Ito Meikyū', world premiering at the Biennale. The work is produced by Sacreubleu Productions (Ron Dyens), Les Films Fauves (Gilles Chanial), and Parangon.

According to the director, 'Ito Meikyū is a virtual reality experience project inspired by Japanese art history and literature (fukinuki yatai, The Tale of Genji, The Pillow Book). It unfolds as a sensory fresco with drawn, animated, and sound scenes in a digital labyrinth of fractal architectures, inhabited by plants, objects, animals, people, patterns, and calligraphy.

Ito Meikyū

The “thread metaphor” combines text, textile, and existence, materializing on screen through weaving principles. In turn, the concepts of life and love between individuals are linked through them (Ito Meikyū as the “thread labyrinth”).

Watch a video presentation of the ‘Ito Meikyū' project:

Related: Boris Labbé at Animateka Festival: Breaking character-driven narratives

The 81st Venice Film Festival took place between 28 August and 7 September 2024