Ekiem Barber and Quentin L’Helgouac’h
France
Overview
Ekiem Barbier y Quentin L’helgoualc’h delve into the creative exploration of unfamiliar spaces, embracing the unknown to find inspiration in unexpected places. For them, cinema is not just an art form, it’s a journey into uncharted territories where stories seek to be told. With a multidisciplinary background, they and their collaborators blend the boundaries of reality and the virtual world, using video games as a medium to uncover hidden narratives. The process becomes a slow unraveling of ideas, a collaborative exchange rooted in trust and friendship. In their film, the line between reality and virtuality fades, revealing a community united not only by the game but by the shared experience of discovery.
Chapters
Why are you making films?
How did the impulse to co-direct Knit’s Island arise?
What challenges come with working this way?
What is it like to work with video games as a means of creation?
How did you approach the editing of Knit’s Island?
Explain the use of pauses in this film.
Is there a desire for innovation in your films?
What criteria did you follow to choose the protagonists?
Bio
Guilhem Causse, Ekiem Barbier et Quentin L’helgoualc’h met at the School of Fine Arts of Montpellier. Their shared interests in virtual reality, video games and digital animation led them to develop a joint research group in 2016. In 2017, they shot their first documentary in the game GTA V Online, and produced a medium-length film "Marlowe Drive". The film was screened at the Brive medium-length film festival, the FIFIB Bordeaux, the Centquatre studio, and at the Cartier Foundation. In 2018, they began writing the feature documentary "Knit’s Island" while also participating in conferences on digital technologies at universities including the Turing Center at ETH Zurich, the Sorbonne, and University of Paris 8.
Filmography
- Knit's Island (2023)
- Marlowe Drive (2018)
