Sorella's Story
Synopsis:
Sorella’s Story is a 360 immersive film and hybrid dramatic recreation that was in competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2022. The film brings to life a smuggled atrocity photograph taken in Latvia in December 1941. In this immersive film, the audience follows 10-year-old Sorella on her final journey to the beach on the Baltic Sea where close to 4,000 people, mostly women and children, were murdered by Nazi collaborators.
Running Time: 15 min 15 sec
Country: Australia, Hungary, Sweden
Completion Date: August 2022
Languages: English
Shooting Format: Digital 360°
Exhibition Format: VR
Compatible Headset: Oculus Quest 1 & 2
Impact: Why We Must Remember
The memory of the Holocaust is rapidly fading and with it, the vital warning of how prejudice leads to extreme violence. A recent study reported that many adults under 40 did not recall hearing the word Holocaust and many of the respondents were unclear on the basic facts of the genocide.
By utilising a fresh creative approach and innovative new media technology, this film will educate and challenge, specifically the younger generation about the Holocaust, as well as create a deeper empathy for all human beings, and help to to quell prejudice and racially based discrimination.
Crew List:
Director: Peter Hegedüs
Writer: Peter Hegedüs
Producer: Peter Hegedüs, Jaclyn McLendon, Bobbi-Lea Dionysius
Co-Producer: Axel Grigor, András Muhi
Cinematographer: Gilberto Roque
Editor: Jemma Potgieter
Associate Producer, 2nd Unit, Stitching: Tess Brading
Associate Producer, 2nd Unit, Stitching, Researcher: Amelia Paxman
Associate Producer, Script Consultant, Researcher: Sarah Hope
Production Designer: Gabor Bascó
Sound Recordist: Szabolcs Gáspár, Jemma Potgieter
Sound Designer: Peter Kurucz
VFX: Louise Harvey, Levi Johns
Awards
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Selected In-Competition for Venice Immersive – Venice International Film Festival
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Gold Award for Art, Innovation Specialized Cinematography category - Australian Cinematography Society
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Finalist for Immersive category – SPA Awards (Screen Producers Australia)
Film Festivals
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Venice Immersive Competition, Venice Film Festival, Italy (World Premiere)
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Beyond the Frame Festival: XR Competition Official Selection, Tokyo (Japanese Premiere)
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Adelaide Film Festival, Australia (Australian Premiere)
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Brisbane International Film Festival, Australia (Queensland Premiere)
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Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival, Czech Republic (Czech Premiere)
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Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (Greece Premiere)
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Doc Edge Intl. Film Festival, New Zealand (New Zealand Premiere)
Exhibitions / Screenings
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Queensland Jewish Museum (Permanent exhibition)
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VR Film Lab (VR Cinema) – Taiwan
EDUCATION TOUR AND COMMUNITY SCREENINGS:
Sorella’s Story is available for school incursion and excursions, using a safe-in/safe-out protocol and wrap-around educational program with a leave behind study guide for use in the classroom.
DETAILS:
Running Time: 15 min 15 sec
Country: Australia, Hungary, Sweden
Completion Date: August 2022
Languages: English
Shooting Format: Digital 360°
Exhibition Format: VR
Compatible Headset: Oculus Quest 1 & 2
Curriculum Links:
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Year 11 & 12 Modern History - WWII, Holocaust Studies
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Year 11 & 12 Media Studies
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Year 11 & 12 Legal Studies - Human Rights and Ethics
Companion Documentary:
Our companion feature documentary offers a deeper exploration to Sorella's Story providing a wider socio-political and contemporary context to the themes and is suitable from Year 10 and above. We can provide a trailer and screener to preview the content. Educational materials can also be provided.
We would like to acknowledge the following production partners for their support: Screem Australia,
Screen Queensland, CARI - Creative Arts Research Institute, Griffith University, Disrupting Violence Beacon - Griffith University. Dalama University and Queensland Holocaust Museum. The 360 film's educational program is proudly supported by the Gandel Foundation and facilitated through the Melbourne Holocaust Museum.
Request a Screening
Sorella's Story is available for education, museums and community screenings