Interactive film by local producers launches at Art Gallery of Alberta

Edmonton movie goers drawn to see things from another perspective will be captivated by a new film crafted by local talent at the National Film Board’s North West Studio.

Invisible World, which debuts Saturday at the Art Gallery of Alberta, tells the complex tale of three characters whose lives intersect during the near-drowning of a toddler who lives in a floating village in Cambodia.

The 22-minute film draws from a story written by local cinematographer and co-director Tyler Enfield about his experiences in Cambodia in 1994, shortly after the civil war in that country, when he taught English and was part of a carefree subculture of fellow expats.

On June 9, the film will be posted online at nfb.ca (plus an app will be available on iTunes), so viewers can enjoy the experience for free on their computers and tablets. Far from being second choice to a large-screen viewing, watching Invisible World on an electronic device is intimate, and gripping.

“It’s an individual experience,” says Invisible World’s producer, Bonnie Thompson, noting the film is available in French, English and Khmer.

A virtual reality component is also part of the package, available to those who have the appropriate technology, including threedimensional head gear that immerses participants in the film.

Shot in Cambodia using local crew on a shoestring budget of about $300,000, the film looks at events through the eyes of a young backpacker (played not by an actor, but by an actual backpacker discovered while in production overseas), plus a Khmer doctor and Khmer mother to a toddler.

For the AGA debut, the film is seen on a large screen that splits into three diagonal sections. Each of the segments sees the action from the perspective of one of the three characters, painting a rich picture of that person’s experience through the cinematic techniques of backstory, point of view and reaction. Those who watch the film on their computers will be able to manipulate the screen to watch as little or as much of each character’s

perspective as they like, although at the screening, the filmmakers decide what perspective gets prominence. “We are using cinematic language to recreate a story in a different way, and to bring different meaning to it,” says Thompson. “I think it brings intensity, and the story can be seen a different way every time you watch it.”

Thompson collected a diverse and talented team, including Giller Prize winning author Madeleine Thien, to create Invisible World. Co-director, editor and cinematographer Galen Scorer, an interactive strategist, figured out how to divide the screen in as many as four ways to peel back layers as the story unfolds.

There is no dialogue per se amongst the characters. A script with a voice over has been written for each character to tell their stories. Enfield wrote the words for the backpacker character, a poetic, energetic, and self-focused stream of consciousness that reflects a young backpacker who views his adopted home as a playground. Thien, who lived in Cambodia for 10 years, crafted the words for the Khmer characters, which reflect their perspectives as survivors in a country shattered by war.

The premiere is in the AGA’s Ledcor Theatre and costs $5. The event starts at noon, with screenings at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., plus virtual reality demonstrations. Visit the northwestfest.ca for more details.