Sundance

Filmmaker Valerie Veatch is returning to the Sundance Film Festival – this time for the world premiere of her HBO film LOVE CHILD about Internet and gaming immersion/addiction, her second documentary feature film (and second to debut at Sundance). The film, produced by artist and filmmaker David Foox, will screen in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. LOVE CHILD is executive produced by T-Mobile CEO John Legere.

In Seoul, South Korea, a young couple stands accused of neglect when "Internet addiction" to an online fantasy game costs them the life of their infant daughter Sarang. LOVE CHILD documents the 2010 trial and subsequent ruling that set global precedent in a world where virtual is the new reality.

LOVE CHILD, which was recently featured prominently on the front of The Arts section of The New York Times, will have its national television debut on HBO.

Now 28 years old (26 when her first film premiered there), Veatch is one of the youngest filmmakers (if not the youngest) to have two documentary feature films debut at Sundance. And, as I see it, she is tapping into the kinds of Internet generation stories that are not typically told at Sundance and other film festivals, providing a different angle on the stories (media/gaming immersion in this case) and the craft of film… and she is doing it with great success. Veatch's prior film ME @ THE ZOO premiered at Sundance 2012 and had its broadcast debut on HBO. As an example of her innovative work in documentary filmmaking, Veatch is the first filmmaker to use the new RGBDToolkit immersive technology – which its creators describe as "computational photography" – in a feature film debuting at Sundance (the experimental technology will also be on display in another project at New Frontiers during Sundance).

According to Veatch: "LOVE CHILD is the story of an infant who died as a result of neglect due to 'Internet addiction' while her young parents were raising an online virtual child. Her name was 'Sarang' which means 'love' in Korean. The ruling in the case marked an unprecedented shift in the paradigm around how the virtual world impacts the 'real' world and the story of Sarang will have a lasting impact on Internet policy and the gaming industry as we grapple with how to live in a world where virtual is the new reality."

Here's the Sundance Film Festival programmers' synopsis of the film: 

In 2010, a South Korean baby named Sarang died of malnutrition. The death of a child is always horrific, but the circumstances leading up to this one were even more shocking: Sarang died because her parents were playing games online. Ordinarily, this would be a clear case of negligence, but Love Child takes a different approach by looking at what led to the parents’ gaming addiction and how their child became a secondary concern. The film then expands from this tragedy to examine the way that South Korea’s place as the world leader of Internet infrastructure has adversely affected its communal society. Director Valerie Veatch skillfully weaves a story of personal tragedy together with social commentary. Instead of merely condemning the parents, she shows how embracing technology can have unforeseen negative consequences. By interjecting footage from the game the parents loved to play into the film, Veatch vividly conveys how intoxicating these games can be and shows how easily the lines between real life and virtual reality can blur.

Here is a list of screenings at Sundance, starting with its premiere Jan. 17th:

http://filmguide.sundance.org/film/13972/love_child
 

World Premiere Screening & Other Public Screenings:

• Friday, January 17, 6:00 PM – Yarrow, Park City

• Saturday, January 18, Midnight – Broadway 6, Salt Lake City

• Sunday, January 19, 7:00pm – Redstone 2, Park City

• Wednesday, January 22, Noon – Egyptian, Park City 

• Friday, January 24, 3:00 PM – Holiday 2, Park City

Press & Industry Screening:

• Saturday, January 18, 1:00 PM – Holiday 4, Park City

Here is an official film photo available on the Sundance website (please credit HBO/Valerie Veatch):