Tmání (Darkening)

How is the world perceived by someone with depression? The animated immersive film uses virtual reality to address depression and the ways to cope with it. Director and protagonist Ondřej guides us through diverse landscapes associating the story of his struggle with depression since puberty. We share his feelings during the first depressive episodes at a family trip in his childhood, at university when striving for perfect results, at work in his everyday fights with the depressive ‘darkening’. Through animation, combining a stylised form of Ondřej’s environment and abstract images of his emotions, the viewers will experience and understand what it is like to live with this illness, how to tackle it and what mechanisms are used by people with depression to feel better. Most of the interactions are voice controlled. The main character Ondřej finds out that his tool to get the depression under control is his voice. He uses humming, singing and even shouting as a calming and relieving technique.

I have heard many times from my friends in the 13+ years that depression has been a regular visitor—“I can’t imagine what you are going through”. I found out that a VR film could be a great way to answer this question, better than a clueless silence. I embarked on a journey of personal psychological ‘coming out’. People also ask me: do you think the film will help people? I’d be glad if it did, but unfortunately even great new technologies like VR are not magical objects with supernatural powers. I hope that our film will at least show people who have dealt with depression that they are not alone and that there are ways out of the dark labyrinth of the mind. And that’s not a small thing.

PRODUCTION 1: Hana Blaha Šilarová – Frame Films
Nad Bílými vršky 959
27204 – Kladno, Czechia
Tel. +420 602792856
hana@framefilms.cz
http://www.framefilms.cz
Facebook: https://facebook.com/framefilmsproduction

PRODUCTION 2: Gayatri Parameswaran, Felix Gaedtke – NowHere Media
Emser Str. 27
12051 – Berlin, Germany
Tel. +49 1758271133
gayatri@nowheremedia.net
http://www.nowheremedia.net/

PRODUCTION 3: Robin Pultera – Brainz Immersive
Manesova 27
12000 – Prague, Czechia
Tel. +420 777164148
robin@immersive.cz
www.immersive.cz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brainzstudios

PRESS OFFICE: Mirjam Wiekenkamp – NOISE Film TV
Van Hallstraat 54
1051 HH – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tel. +31 628652249
mirjam@noisefilmpr.com