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ACCUSED #2 – Walter Max Sisulu

A Virtual Reality film directed by Nicolas Champeaux and Gilles Porte

The story of the struggle against Apartheid is symbolised by one man: Nelson Mandela. He came to public notice during a historic trial in 1963 and 1964. Mandela would have been a hundred years old in 2018. He was not alone at the trial. Seven co accused (five Blacks, one White and an ethnic Indian) were sentenced with him to hard labour for life. All had faced the threat of hanging. Yet at the risk of their lives, they had chosen to turn their trial into a political indictment of the segregationist regime.

Nelson Mandela gave a speech from the dock and was not cross-examined. So Walter Sisulu, the grey eminence of the movement, was the first co-defendant to take on the formidable prosecutor Percy Yutar. Sisulu, who had left school at the age of 14, started out at a serious disadvantage. Yet over the 5 days of the hearing, he ultimately succeeded in making his case in front of journalists from all over the world, as well as the diplomats attending the trial. Today, with 256 hours of audio recordings of the hearings (recently unearthed and restored by France’s Institut National de l’Audiovisuel), we can relive that battle and, through those remarkable resources, (re) discover the story of the ANC’s fight against Apartheid.

The illustrations of artist Oerd Van Cuijlenborg plunge viewers into the Rivonia trial hearings. They find themselves in close proximity to the protagonists and totally immersed in the proceedings thanks to 360° virtual reality and spatialised sound.

Technical and Artistic list
A 360 VR film
Languages : English (French / German subtitles).
Produced by LA GÉNÉRALE DE PRODUCTION (Jérémy Pouilloux and Alexandre Hallier)
Co-producers UFO PRODUCTION – ROUGE INTERNATIONAL – ARTE FRANCE – RADIO FRANCE – INA
Drawings & animation OERD
Technical direction Michaël Bolufer
Music Aurélien Godderis-Chouzenoux

Technical and Artistic list

EXHIBITIONS

Apartheid Museum (South Africa / 2019)

FESTIVALS & AWARDS

SATIS Expo 360 Film Festival 2019 - Best Sound 360 Award
Virtuality XR Awards 2019 - Best immersive documentary
Animafest Zagreb 2019 - Best VR animation
New Media Film Festival 2019 - Best Virtual Reality
Sheffiled International Documentary Festival 2019 - Best Digital Narrative Award Nominee
Festival National du Film d'Animation 2019 - Coup de coeur de l'Institut Français pour une oeuvre en VR
International Contest for Educational Media - Japan Prize 2019 - Finalist
360 BCN Mercado Realidad Virtual 2019 - 3rd Prize
Filmfest München Virtual Worlds Awards 2019 - Best Linear Experience
New Images 2019 - Selection outside of competition
Tribeca Film Festival 2019 - Cinema 360 - Official Selection
Flimgate Miam 2019 - Official Selection
Electric Africa VR Festival 2019 - Official Selection
Press Start 2019 - Official Selection
Geneva International Film Festival 2019 - Official Selection
The Portal 2019 - Official Selection
MIFF 2019 - Official Selection
Festival dei Popoli 2019 - Official Selection
FIFIB 2019 - Official Selection
CIFF 2019 - Official Selection
VR Arles Festival 2019 - Selection
Docaviv International Documentary Film Festival 2019 - 360VR - Official Selection
IDFA Doclab 2018 - IDFA Doclab Spotlight - Official Selection
Kaohsiung Film Festival 2019 - Unique VR Best VR360 - Official Selection
Nashville Film Festival 2019 - Official Selection
Ottawa International Animation Festival 2019 - Official Selection
IFF ONE WORLD 2019 - Official Selection
Anidox : VR Awards 2019 - Official Selection
Festival National du Film d'Animation 2019 - Selection
Movies that Matter Festival 2019 - Official Selection
Sandbox Immersive Festival 2019 - Official Selection