LONDON, UK (August 24, 2021)—Anagram, in co-production with Floréal Films, today announced Academy Award-winning actor Tilda Swinton will narrate Goliath: Playing With Reality, a virtual reality experience directed by Barry Gene Murphy and May Abdalla, set to World Premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 1. Goliath is a 25-minute animated VR experience that—through mind-bending animation—explores the limits of reality, demonstrates the weight of mental illness, and lauds the supportive power of the gaming community.

“Goliath is an exploration of the places we choose to feel safe in, and what it means to experience someone else’s reality. Through the use of VR technology, we immerse users in a world where things aren’t as they seem in an effort to unpack our preconceptions and prejudices around mental health and the shame engendered by psychiatric disorders,” said directors Barry Gene Murphy and May Abdalla. “Tilda brought an understanding and otherworldly gravitas that lifted the character of Echo and the experience out of the ordinary. We hope her collaboration brings new audiences to the medium and with it, a deeper awareness of the subject matter of Goliath.” said Murphy.

Goliath: Playing With Reality was made with the support of Oculus VR for Good an initiative designed to support content creators, impact innovators and inspire partners who see virtual reality as a way to make the world a better place; the British Film Institute (BFI) awarding funds from the National Lottery; Creative XR, Digital Catapult and the Arts Council England; Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée; StoryFutures Academy; and developed thanks to La Biennale di Venezia – Biennale College Cinema VR.

For more information about Goliath: Playing With Reality, visit goliath vr.io and follow on instagram.com/goliathvr, #goliathvr

About Anagram

Anagram is an award-winning creative studio specialising in thought-provoking interactive storytelling and immersive experience design. They are the studio behind The Collider and Door into the Dark, winners of the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival Storyscapes award, the 2019 Sandbox Immersive Art Award, and part of the Best VR in 2019 at the Venice International Film Festival. weareanagram.co.uk

About Floréal Films

Founded in 2014, Floréal Films, based in Paris and led by Avi Amar along with Katayoun Dibamehr, is committed to discovering and accompanying talents with a singular gaze and strong ambitions, in Cinema as well as in Immersive works (XR). Since its creation, Floréal Films has already produced about numerous films and experiences (The Hangman at home – Best VR Immersive work, Venise-VR 2020), with this desire to bring together formats by proposing visual, immersive and cinematic experiences, thus paving the way for new distribution horizons. florealfilms.com

About Oculus

The Oculus team at Facebook Reality Labs lets people defy distance—connecting with each other and the world—through world-class VR hardware and software. The Oculus content team pursues the creation of best-in-class games, social and narrative experiences, and new VR use-cases like fitness, productivity, and travel. Oculus joins other teams at Facebook Reality Labs dedicated to building the next computing platform centered around people. Facebook Reality Labs is committed to driving the state of the art forward through relentless innovation. oculus.com