Summary
In Sunset Motel, Thomas Ott’s elaborate characters are brought to life when set in movement through motion capture by Gilles Jobin. From the bus stop, where the participant lands in VR, they see the Sunset Motel on the other side of the road. They can roam freely through the lobby, around the pool and into the rooms. They follow the nine characters and witness their stories unfolding through movement and without dialogue.
Written by: Gilles Jobin et Thomas Ott
Directed by: Gilles Jobin
Production: Nadasdy Film – Nicolas Burlet, Cie Gilles Jobin – Gilles Jobin
With development contribution from: Floréal – Katayoun Dibamehr
Coproduction: SRG /SSR
With the support of: Cinéforom, Loterie Romande, Pôle de création numérique, Office fédéral de la culture (OFC), MEDIA Desk Suisse et Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC)
Festivals
GIFF: 32nd Geneva International Film Festival | Immersive Exeperiences International Competition: Official Selection (2026)
Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica | La biennale Di Venezia 2026 | Venice Immersive | Official Selection
Festival ART*VR | International Competition : Official selection (2026)
FrontDoc : International Documentary Film Festival | Spazio X section : Best VR award (2026)
TIFF 67 | Thessaloniki International Film Festival | Immersive-XR International Competition: Official Selection (2026)
Gilles Jobin
Director
Since 1995, Cie Gilles Jobin has created more than 20 choreographic projects, which have become references on the world stage. In 2015, Gilles Jobin received the Swiss Grand Award for Dance by the Swiss Office of Culture. With the 3D film WOMB in 2016, the company started investigating digital possibilities for contemporary dance within the volume of the frame. Discovering the power of motion capture, the company created VR_I, a groundbreaking dance piece in immersive virtual reality that premiered at the 2017 FNC – Festival du Nouveau Cinema in Montreal and won both the Innovation and People’s Choice awards for Most Innovative Work for New Platforms. In 2018, the work featured at the Sundance Film Festival and at the 75th Venice International Film Festival. A world tour followed in more than 50 cities and 20 countries in America, Asia and Europe, making it the most toured VR location-based installation in the world. The company created Dance Trail (AR) at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and in 2020, La Comédie Virtuelle - Live Show, a multiuser live performance selected in official competition at the 77th Venice International Film Festival which won the Quebec XR industry award Numix 2021. In 2021, with Cosmogony, Gilles and his company create another groundbreaking dance piece that is « touring without traveling », performed LIVE under motion capture from the Studio 44 MocapLab in Geneva, in more than 35 cities across the world.
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