MULTI AWARD-WINNING VR EXPERIENCE EMPEROR AVAILABLE FOR FREE ON META QUEST

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Electronic Press Kit - Download Materials - Official Meta Quest Store Page - Official Trailer

EMPEROR, an interactive virtual reality narrative experience directed by Marion Burger and Ilan J. Cohen, is available for free on Meta Quest 2 and 3.

After numerous selections and awards winning at prestigious festivals like Venice, Annecy, Numix, SXSW, Siggraph or Anifilm, EMPEROR has reached another milestone, being a finalist in the Emmy Awards Competition for Outstanding Emerging Media.

EMPEROR offers a 40 minutes empathetic and poetic journey into the mind of a man suffering from aphasia. Inspired by the personal story of co-creator Marion Burger and her father, it is the tale of a daughter seeking to untangle the hidden meanings behind her father’s confused words through a surreal journey.

“From the start, we knew that Empereur would not be a documentary, but rather a poetic interpretation of what I experienced with my father, who has been affected by aphasia for fifteen years. The project was born out of a need to understand him and to get inside his head. We realized that virtual reality was the best medium to convey this perspective exchange, which is at the heart of the project,” say directors Marion Burger and Ilan J. Cohen, for whom this is their first virtual reality creation.

The narrators are actresses Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon, Slow Horses, Ready Player One, Sound of Metal) for the English version and Vimala Pons (La loi de la jungle, Les Garçons Sauvages, Elle, The Wild Boys) for the French version. The original music is composed by Jamie Turner (Hēran Soun) and cellist Gaspar Claus.

Produced by the production company ATLAS V, the work is co-produced by the German production company Reynard Films, France Télévisions' immersive program unit Francetv StoryLab. The Lyon-based studio Albyon handled its visual and technical development.

“Empereur is neither a film nor a video game but a bit of both, and that’s exactly what we try to create at Atlas V and Albyon: a new form of storytelling, uniquely leveraging the possibilities of the medium. I’m extremely delighted that this powerful experience is available worldwide, for free.” emphasizes producer Oriane Hurard. 

EMPEROR also received financial support from CNC, FFF Bayern, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, Creative Europe MEDIA , Medienboard Berlin-Brandeburg, Beaumarchais Orange XR Grant, Sud Region, Procirep-Angoa, Audiens Generations Foundation, SLM and Pico.

ABOUT THE CREATORS

MARION BURGER

Graduated in textile design from Duperré School and then from the Danmarks Designskole in Copenhagen, Marion is a set designer for cinema. She has notably worked on Divines by Houda Benyamina (Caméra d'or 2016), Gagarine by Jérémy Trouilh and Fanny Liatard (Cannes 2020), and Un petit frère by Léonor Serraille (Cannes 2022), for which she received the Young Cinema Technician Award from CST. Based on her personal story, EMPEROR marks her directorial debut.

ILAN J. COHEN

After studying in France and the United States, Ilan J. Cohen has worked on film sets since 2008, first as an on-set translator and then as an assistant director on numerous short and feature films, including Rebecca H. by Lodge Kerrigan, White Shadow by Noaz Deshe, and Sarah Winchester by Bertrand Bonello. Concurrently, Ilan has also directed numerous music videos (Rone, Gaspar Claus) and is currently developing several scripts.

ABOUT THE PRODUCERS

ATLAS V

Founded in 2017 at the intersection of the entertainment industry, technological innovation, and audiovisual creation, ATLAS V aims to engage audiences by leveraging new technologies, strong visual aesthetics, and immersive design. ATLAS V is known for acclaimed virtual reality works such as Gloomy Eyes, Battlescar, Spheres, and On the Morning You Wake (to the End of the World), awarded at Venice, Sundance, and Annecy. The company has recently launched Wallace & Gromit: The Grand Getaway in December 2023 in collaboration with Aardman and NoGhost Studios and will launch Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom in October 2024, in collaboration with Bandai Namco Filmworks and Incarna Studios.

FRANCE TÉLÉVISION STORYLAB

France Télévisions, through its immersive program unit france.tv StoryLab, aims to co-produce engaging immersive works that explore new narratives and expand our imaginations. We explore societal issues and offer our audience powerful immersive experiences.

REYNARD FILMS

Reynard Films was created by Katharina Weser and Georg Neubert in 2016. In their offices in Leipzig, Agawang, and Berlin, they work at the intersection of art and code and specialize in international co-productions of films and virtual reality projects. Their works have been presented at festivals such as Cannes, Venice Biennale, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and SXSW.

ALBYON

Albyon is a French development studio located in Lyon and Paris, founded in 2021 and specializing in the creation of immersive experiences across all platforms, VR experiences, interactive installations, and video games. A subsidiary of the ATLAS V group, Albyon has developed a unique and globally recognized expertise.

Contact Information

Distribution / Media & Content Creators Contact

Zoé Lemaire - [email protected]

Production Contact

Oriane Hurard - [email protected]