Iñárritu premiers his innovating VR exhibition in Cannes

Alejandro González Iñárritu's project “Flesh and Sand. Virtually present, physically invisible," a visual art display inaugurated this week at the Cannes Festival and the first virtual reality film in the festival's official selection.

Through seven minutes of virtual reality, the film aims to capture the experience lived by migrants who cross the border between Mexico and the U.S., taking the spectators away from traditional films, and transporting them into an emotional journey.

González Iñárritu, Oscar winner for “Birdman” and “The Revenant,” has been working on the exhibition for 4 years.

“The highest technology with the most beautiful human beings is a really powerful combination,” said González Iñárritu in an interview. “The experience of working with immigrants was the most inspiring and gratifying of all the years I have dedicated to this project.”

In many ways, the film is outstanding. It was mounted in an aircraft hangar located about 15 minutes by car from the festival center, and journalists have been taken individually in order to watch it. It is one of the most difficult tickets to obtain in Cannes.

The exhibition will open officially next month in the Fondazione Prada, Milan, before being moved to Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Tlatelolco Cultural Center in Mexico City.

mr