Image: National Library of Wales, Venice
Ôl | Haunts has become the first Welsh-language virtual reality experience selected for competition at the Venice International Film Festival, in a development the National Library of Wales describes as a milestone for Welsh immersive storytelling. The work has been chosen for the Immersive Competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival and will be shown on Venice Immersive Island from 2 to 12 September, when it will receive its international premiere.
The project draws on material from the Wales Broadcast Archive, bringing Wales’ audiovisual heritage to an international audience through a bilingual immersive format. According to the Library, the archive content is central to the experience and helps bring to life the sights, sounds and culture of a pivotal moment in modern Welsh history. The work also reflects the Library’s wider role in preserving and reusing national collections in new forms.
Ôl | Haunts was created by Wales Millennium Centre, Pilot Theatre and Dreaming Methods in collaboration with the National Library of Wales. The bilingual experience was made possible through the Wales Broadcast Archive, which is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Welsh Government. The archive itself brings together content from BBC Cymru Wales, ITV Cymru Wales and S4C, and the Library says around 650,000 hours of material are available through the archive at the National Library of Wales, at Clip Corners across Wales and online.
The experience is narrated in Welsh by Steffan Donnelly and in English by Callum Scott-Howells. It uses virtual reality, archive footage and music from Welsh artists including Super Furry Animals, John Cale and High Contrast to transport audiences back to 2006, exploring memory, place and identity. The title and concept were shaped by the nostalgia that co-directors Lucy Hammond and Tom Chetwode-Barton wanted to evoke, with the work described as a reflection on youth, the people and places that remain with us, and the music that stays in memory.
Before Venice, audiences in Wales will have a chance to encounter Ôl | Haunts at the National Library of Wales stand during the National Eisteddfod in North Pembrokeshire from 1 to 8 August. The Library’s August newsletter placed the Venice selection alongside its Eisteddfod activities, while the dedicated news release said the Eisteddfod presentation would come before the work travels to Italy.
The Venice selection was welcomed by the project’s collaborators and funders in statements published by the Library. Lucy Hammond said it was exciting to see the work recognised internationally, while Dafydd Tudur, Head of Engagement at the National Library of Wales, said the project shows how the Library’s collections can inspire new forms of creativity and storytelling. Andrew White, Director for Wales at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the selection marks a significant moment for storytelling in Cymraeg. After Venice, Ôl | Haunts is also scheduled for Llais Festival at Wales Millennium Centre from 7 to 11 October.
