I don't know what nostalgia is anymore

Shenmue: The Movie

January 2001 •Japanese

Ryo Hazuki finds himself seeing his father Iwao die at the hands of a mysterious Chinese man named Lan Di, who also steals an item Iwao had called the "Dragon Mirror". Ryo makes it his mission to get revenge on Lan Di, but first he has to find out how to find him, with the warhouse docks & the Mad Angels gang being his best leads.

Eu não seria eu

February 2023 •Portuguese

War of the Servers

November 2007 •English

When strange beings called Mingebags invade the servers of the popular game Garry's Mod, one player must try to survive while searching for his friends amid the chaos and war.

The French Democracy

November 2005 •French

The French Democracy is a short film by French filmmaker Alex Chan. The film was made in the 2005 PC game "The Movies," a business simulation game that allowed users to create their own films using pre-rendered scenes and tells the story of three Moroccan immigrants in France who turn to rioting after facing different forms of discrimination. The film was made as a response to the 2005 French riots which resulted from the deaths of two young boys who were electrocuted while hiding from police in a power substation. The civil unrest called attention to racism in France and abusive policing tactics. On its release, The French Democracy sparked controversy in mainstream media both as a political statement and as an example of the then-emerging Machinima genre tackling mature, political themes.

Thrashing

December 2023 •English

A lonely marijuana farmer begins having strange waking dreams and gaps in his memory.

Chain-Link

May 2022 •English

In order to escape a prison under constant and total surveillance, a jaded clone and a sensitive art forger must strike an uneasy alliance with their malevolent AI surveiller. Along the way they encounter a sentient program enslaved in the prison’s lab-grown meat farm, a tormented being who may hold the key to their escape.

Little Red Riding Hood

June 2024 •German

10-year-old Danny can’t believe how naive and dumb Little Red Riding Hood from Grimm’s fairy tale is. Determined to save the girl and her grandmother from the evil wolf, he decides to travel through time and change history. But Little Red Riding Hood is not stupid at all. And she certainly doesn’t need to be saved …

Grand Theft Hamlet

October 2024 •English

Two unemployed friends have a fresh idea: They want to stage Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' in Grand Theft Auto. But even in a virtual world, reality intrudes in a wild and trippy film shot entirely inside the ultra-violent video game.

Last Days in a Lonely Place

May 2007 •English

The virtual landscapes of a video game are transformed into an existential tale of solemn beauty.

Oblivion

October 2024 •Russian

A lone passenger is reflected in the windows of a train crawling through layers of textures towards Minsk. During his absence, the city has not changed: all the streets are frozen, long-gone voices can be heard in the empty rooms and around the corner you can find yourself in a video game from your childhood.

Endless Sea

January 2015 •English

Endless Sea is a textural, oneiric exploration of the inability to escape captured within the confines of Grand Theft Auto: Andreas.

Outrun

May 2021 •English

After a tragic kidnapping leaves him broken and alone, a former criminal "fixer" must journey into the sinister underbelly of Los Angeles in order to rescue his lover and find answers. It isn't long before he finds himself submerged and lost in a surreal odyssey of murder, deception, and unforgiving brutality.

Max Knight: Ultra Spy

February 2000 •English

A master of espionage is hot on the trail of a new kind of computer criminal in this made-for-TV sci-fi action opus. Lindsay (Brooke Harman) is a scientist whose latest discovery in energy transformation has the potential to revolutionize the world; it also attracts the attention of Zachary (Christopher Morris), the leader of a cyber-savvy gang, and Zachary kidnaps Lindsay in order to learn her secrets. Lindsay's sister Ricki (Rachel Blakely) soons becomes concerned about her sister's disappearance, and contacts super sleuth Max Knight (Michael Landes) to find her. As Max searches for Lindsay, he discovers Zachary and his cohorts have strange plans for Lindsay's innovation, which could make it possible for them to leave their bodies and travel wherever they wish through the Internet. (Max Knight: Ultra Spy was released direct-to-video)

The Contract

Invalid date •English

This is Not a Game

June 2021 •English

Angela Su’s fictional artist Rosie Leavers is the last remaining person to upload her consciousness to a video game. Contemplating during a pandemic year which also saw people’s resistance movements in many parts of the world, the work pinpoints the uncanny affinities between gaming and warfare strategies. They have mutually informed the infrastructure of both worlds since time immemorial when diplomatic conflicts played out on the battlefield of the 64 squares of a chess board to flight simulation technologies which were adapted to shape gaming experiences as we know it now. When the conflict is between the state and its people, she speculates that gaming strategies empower civilians in resistance movements to counter imperialism through its own operative logic. But once we upload our consciousness, are we able to return to the sensibilities and political motivation that inspired the revolution to begin with?

Clear Skies

January 2008 •English

Clear Skies follows a trio of down-and-out misfits who've seen no end of bad luck. John Rourke is the obstinate captain of the Clear Skies, a Tempest class battleship manufactured by the downtrodden Minmatar race of New Eden. Rourke's attitude toward his hazardous chosen lifestyle is cavalier, although this does not sit well with his friends among the crew.

Clear Skies 2

January 2009 •English

These likeable dropouts from the entrenched corporate lifestyle of New Eden eke out a meager living on trade runs and the odd courier job here and there. Still, they manage to find humor in their grim lot as they narrowly avoid being blown out of the stars by pirates, hired thugs, or whatever threat awaits them on the other side of the next jump gate. This is life aboard the Clear Skies.

Shenmue II: The Movie

December 2016 •English

In 1987, teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki arrives in Wan Chai, Hong Kong from Japan on the trail of his father's killer, Lan Di, of the criminal Chi You Men organization. He searches for Master Lishao Tao, the only link to the whereabouts of Yuanda Zhu, a martial arts expert who sent Ryo's father a letter warning him of Lan Di's intentions. When Ryo finds Tao, whose real name is Xiuying Hong, she refuses to help, considering his quest for vengeance reckless. The two part ways, but Xiuying continues to monitor Ryo's progress.

Dancing Plague

Invalid date •English

Dancing Plague, a GTA V mod, flips the script. Holding H key forces male NPCs to dance uncontrollably, revealing the game's biased animations where female characters (often sex workers) have the flashiest moves. This disrupts the game's gender roles, making masculinity both playful and challenged. Interestingly, female characters ignore the male dance frenzy. This is a humorous critique of the game's gender politics. The mod's soundtrack, by Azu Tiwaline, blends electronic music with trance traditions, deepening the critique and adding an immersive ritualistic feel.

9/11 Simulation in Roblox Environment

July 2017 •English

CGI collage short film originally premiered as part of the 'Extinction Renaissance' exhibition at the Loyal Gallery in Stockholm.