Eddie and I

How do you overcome the fear of the unknown? Eight-year-old deaf Ron is afraid of his first camping trip. To calm him, his mother tells the story of Eddie the Camper, a friendly monster who grew up in the forest and is the perfect companion for a nature adventure. Despite her efforts, Ron, struggles to believe the story, and his fear persists. That night, Ron falls into a deep sleep and awakens in a surreal forest where he meets the player, embodied as Eddie the Camper. Together, they embark on an adventure full of challenges. But there’s one barrier standing in the way: Ron can’t hear, and the player doesn’t know sign language. Across this interactive VR experience, the player and Ron will need to work together to complete tasks like building a campfire, skipping stones in the river, stargazing, and even confronting a menacing carnivorous flower. Along the way, the player’ll navigate the forest, learn simple sign language keywords, and build trust. Will the player and Ron bridge the gap, overcome communication barriers, and succeed in the adventure?

How can we communicate when we don’t share a common language? Whether it’s French, Arabic, or sign language, how can we bridge the gap between the unfamiliar and ourselves? This question goes beyond sign language, touching on the deeper challenge of connecting across cultures, communities, and different lived realities. Eddie and I transforms barriers into opportunities for connection. Users play Eddie, a friendly monster helping Ron, a deaf boy, overcome his fear of camping, using storytelling and hand-tracking to learn simple sign language and build trust. In an increasingly polarised world, Eddie and I seeks to reduce alienation, stigma, and intolerance, offering a safe, playful, empathetic encounter with “the other”. This embodied, memorable experience shows how technology can serve as a powerful tool to foster deeper understanding and empathy across all walks of life.

PRODUCTION 1:
Moosh Studio - Maya Shekel, Yuval Kella, Anna Zuckerman
13 Hadassa St
64515 Tel Aviv, Israel
Tel: +972 544306044
E-mail: maya@moosh-studio.com
Web: https://www.moosh-studio.com/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/_moosh_studio - Instagram, http://linkedin.com/company/mooshstudio – LinkedIn

PRODUCTION 2:
Reynard Films - Katharina Weser, Sandrina Koppitz
Plautstraße 27-29
04179 Leipzig, Germany
Tel: +49 34124062213
E-mail: post@reynardfilms.com
Web: http://www.reynardfilms.de
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/reynard.films - Instagram, https://www.linkedin.com/company/reynard-and-yaga/ - LinkedIn

PRODUCTION 3:
Studio Geppetto – Amaury Campion
18, Rue de Moscou
75008 Paris, France
Tel: +33 06 73 69 95 62
E-mail: amaury@studio-geppetto.com
Web: https://www.studio-geppetto.com/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/studio_geppetto/ - Instagram, https://www.linkedin.com/company/studio-geppetto/ - LinkedIn

WORLD SALES:
Astrea - Wan-Chen Huang
13 Rue Mont-Louis
75011 Paris, France
Tel: +33 0147000301
E-mail: festival@astreaimmersive.io
Web: https://astreaimmersive.io/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/astreaimmersive/ - Instagram, https://www.facebook.com/astreaimmersive - Facebook, https://twitter.com/astreaimmersive - X (Twitter), https://www.linkedin.com/company/76121729/ - LinkedIn

PRESS OFFICE:
Astrea - Wan-Chen Huang
13 Rue Mont-Louis
75011 Paris, France
Tel: +33 0147000301
E-mail: wanchen@astreaimmersive.io