IDFA 2017
Homestay
Paisley Smith, Jam3, NFB
Canada
2017
15 min
n.a.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of international students head for Canada to study. Many of them rent a room with a host family to make the most of the exchange experience, and both the student and the family get to know another culture. Homestay is a virtual reality story about a Canadian family who hosts a Japanese exchange student named Taro. The stay takes a turn for the unexpected, and changes the hosts’ thinking about family, hospitality and nationality. The VR experience is a linear progression that takes place in a world of delicately folded paper, inspired by the Nitobe Memorial Garden in Vancouver. We can use the control to manipulate the environment, and turned-up corners invite us to pull on the paper and tear it. This makes us aware of the fragility of our environment as we progress through this moving story. It’s a surreal experience in which things are sometimes out of our control, just like in real life. Often things aren’t as easy as they seem. On-site reservation required.
Credits
Director
Paisley Smith,
Jam3,
NFB
Paisley Smith,
Jam3,
NFB
Created by
Paisley Smith,
Jam3,
NFB
Paisley Smith,
Jam3,
NFB
Screening copy
National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada