Annecy International Animated Film Festival

Please join our talented team of creative filmmakers for sessions and demos at Annecy showcasing the best of Google Spotlight Stories from

RAIN OR SHINE

Directed by Felix Massie

PEARL

Directed by Patrick Osborne

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Directed by Tim Ruffle

Here’s where you can see and hear about Google Spotlight Stories at Annecy:

Monday, June 13^th

6:00 – 7:15pm – “Once Upon a Time in 360°” Focus Studio Session

Location: Salle Pierre Lamy, 12 rue de la République

Karen Dufilho (Executive Producer, Google Spotlight Stories) and Jan Pinkava (Creative Director, Google Spotlight Stories) will host a group of directors, pioneers and industry leaders for a conversation on creating animated stories in VR and beyond, including Nexus Productions Felix Massie and Chris O’Reilly, Aardman’s Tim Ruffle and Peter Lord and Patrick Osborne.

Tuesday, June 14^th

10:00am – 5:00pm – Virtual Reality and Animation Demos of the latest Spotlight Story, PEARL, directed by Patrick Osborne.

Location: Salle de Creation at Bonlieu (across from rue Jean Jaures)

**Patrick will be on hand from 11:00am and press may either stop by during the day or make appointments to view the demo between 5-5:30pm.

2:30-6:15pm – Creation Conference: The Challenges of Virtual Reality

Location: Chambre de métiers, sale Mont-Blanc

**Mark Davies and Felix Massie (Rain or Shine, Nexus) and Jason Spencer-Bartholomew and Tim Ruffle (Special Delivery, Aardman) are featured speakers.

Wednesday, June 15^th

10:00am – 5:00pm – Virtual Reality and Animation Demos of the upcoming Spotlight Story, RAIN OR SHINE, directed by Felix Massie.

Location: Salle de Creation at Bonlieu (across from rue Jean Jaures)

**Felix will be on hand from 4:00pm and press may either stop by during the day or make appointments to view the demo between 5-5:30pm.

ABOUT “RAIN OR SHINE”

Together with Nexus Productions, Google Spotlight Stories is proud to present RAIN OR SHINE, directed by Felix Massie. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, there’s a spring in everybody’s step. Everyone in London is enjoying a perfect summer's day…until Ella steps outside. Everywhere she goes it rains - is she going to ruin everyone’s day forever? The studio’s most interactive short yet -- as with other Spotlight Stories, the viewer can look around, and in doing so, can find subplots and surprises, in addition to hold for the viewer to return to main view before returning. RAIN OR SHINE will launch on YouTube later this summer. Images available upon request.

ABOUT “PEARL”

PEARL is the seventh Google Spotlight Story, and is directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Patrick Osborne (Disney’s Feast). Set inside their home, a beloved hatchback, PEARL follows a girl and her dad as they crisscross the country chasing their dreams. It’s a story about the gifts we hand down, their power to carry love…and finding grace in the unlikeliest of places. The short is anchored by the original song, "No Wrong Way Home," written by Alexis Harte & JJ Wiesler and performed by Kelley Stoltz and Nicki Bluhm. Produced with Evil Eye Pictures, PEARL breaks new ground for Spotlight Stories in both storytelling and technology, with the most shots, sets, and characters, along with custom lighting, effects and interactive surround sound in every shot. View Pearl here. For PEARL images and a trailer link, click here, and for the media folder and access the trailer on YouTube here.

ABOUT “SPECIAL DELIVERY”

SPECIAL DELIVERY was directed by Tim Ruffle of Aardman Animations

and follows the adventures of a humble caretaker, disturbed by a mysterious rooftop stranger who is always one step ahead...leaving behind a trail of gifts. Launched last holiday season, view Special Delivery here. Images available upon request.

ABOUT GOOGLE SPOTLIGHT STORIES

Google Spotlight Stories is a new form of storytelling made specifically for mobile and VR. In these 360-degree, interactive stories, your phone becomes a window to a world all around you. The sensors on your phone allow the story to be interactive; when you move your phone to various scenes, you are able to unlock mini-stories within the story.

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