Made possible thanks to a grant from artist and philanthropist Ling Ang, Night Creatures is a series of augmented-reality (AR) experiences celebrating the energy, connection and intimacy of the MIFF queue – a hallowed space where the film community interacts in fevered anticipation during the festival.

A key project within MIFF’s 70th-anniversary program, Night Creatures will introduce audiences to animated cinema-goers who take the form of fruit bats – Melbourne’s beloved creatures of the night, which flock into the skies in parallel with the nocturnal rhythms of MIFF audiences. Blending the present-day physical world of MIFF with uncanny, animated reinterpretations of film-festival memories, the imaginative project has been brought to life on the screen through AR by artists Isobel Knowles and Van Sowerwine, with music and sound design by Lehmann B. Smith and technical production by Art Processors.

How to view Night Creatures

See a festival film at any of the following MIFF locations and find the cardboard cut-out bats to access the work on your smartphone:

• Forum
• ACMI
• The Capitol
• Hoyts 
• The Astor Theatre

Night Creatures can also be accessed for free – no booking required – at ACMI’s Swinburne Studio (10–20 August) along with the puppets and props. Otherwise, Night Creatures can be accessed from anywhere using this link (smartphone only)!

A VR version can be viewed as part of the MIFF XR Gallery, either at ACMI or at home.

To view the work on your smartphone, you will need to allow access to your device’s camera and/or motion sensors. No personal data will be collected or stored.

Credits

Night Creatures is supported and made possible via a grant from artist and philanthropist Ling Ang.

Written, directed and animated by Isobel Knowles and Van Sowerwine.

A Film Camp production in association with Art Processors.

MIFF XR is an extended reality program that encompasses augmented reality and virtual reality; the program reflects and represents the very best of emergent 360-degree and interactive filmmaking.