News

The Korea National University of Arts (K-Arts, President Kim Dae-jin) Convergence Arts Center’s Art & Technology Lab (AT Lab) has won the Best Immersive Theatre award at the 33rd Raindance Film Festival with its audience-participatory interactive production <Scarecrow:Rekindle>

                                                                                                       

                                                                                                            ⟪Scarecrow:Rekindle⟫ Poster

Founded in 1993, the Raindance Film Festival is an internationally renowned independent film festival held in major cities including London, New York, and Vancouver. In particular, its Immersive category—celebrating its 10th anniversary this year—has played a pioneering role in discovering and supporting experimental content that harnesses cutting-edge technologies such as virtual reality and gaming.

This year’s award-winning work, <Scarecrow:Rekindle>, is a reimagined version of the VR immersive piece Scarecrow, originally produced by K-Arts AT Lab in 2019 as part of the IP Upgradin Project. Set in a village whose hearts have been stolen by sinister phoenixes, the original Scarecrow follows the journey of a lone scarecrow who remains behind, breaking a curse and reclaiming the villagers’ hearts. Since its invitation to the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, the work has been featured at prestigious festivals worldwide and praised by major international outlets such as Forbes, which called it “one of the most powerful experiences in digital content history.”

<Scarecrow:Rekindle> expands upon the original’s universe and narrative through VRChat, enabling multiple users to connect simultaneously and enjoy the content together while emphasizing collaborative interaction between audiences. Within the experience, participants join forces to rekindle the scarecrow’s heart—smashing boulders to release blocked water flows and gathering crystals to make flowers bloom on barren ground. These interactive moments convey a resonant message: “When we are together, we can comfort one another and once again speak of hope to the world.”

                                  
                                                                                       ⟪Scarecrow:Rekindle⟫ Still shot

In its jury comments, the festival stated, “<Scarecrow:Rekindle> is an emotionally resonant XR experience that offers a fresh perspective on how vividly we can feel present within it, make our own choices, and immerse ourselves in the story. Through expressions that are simple yet poetic, it delivers a profound emotional impact, and through the warmth of solidarity embedded in its uncluttered design, it powerfully demonstrates how immersive storytelling—rooted in the fragility and delicacy of the human condition—can be both compelling and effective.”

Co-director Park Ark, a graduate of the Master’s Program in Multimedia and Video at K-Arts, shared his thoughts on the win: “While working with VR, there were times when I questioned the medium’s sustainability. But this award feels like encouragement, telling me, ‘You weren’t wrong. You can keep going.’ The heartfelt reactions from audiences I met at the festival reignited a spark in my own heart as well.” Im Min-jae, a current Master’s student in Multimedia and Video at K-Arts and the VRChat producer for the project, commented: “<Scarecrow:Rekindle> is a work in which ‘cooperation’ between users is central to the narrative experience. We focused on how to naturally encourage acts of helping one another within the story and create deeper immersion.” He added, “The process of working together and collaborating to make a better piece was itself a valuable learning experience.”

Professor Lee Seung-moo, head of the AT Lab and faculty member in the Department of Film at K-Arts’ School of Film, TV & Multimedia, explained: “The ‘IP Upgrading Project’ is designed to support outstanding existing works—such as Scarecrow—in being reinterpreted and further developed in line with technological and societal changes, at a time when content is consumed ever more quickly and its life cycle grows shorter. This not only enhances the quality of the work, but also lays the foundation for expansion into various formats.” He added, “Based on initiatives like this, AT Lab’s goal is to build a sustainable creative ecosystem for artists at K-Arts.”

The AT Lab at K-Arts is a creative production and research institute dedicated to integrating science and technology with culture, art, industry, and education. In addition to <Scarecrow>, its works such as <Rain Fruits> and <Fly To You> have been invited to major international film and media festivals including Tribeca, Cannes XR, and South by Southwest (SXSW), winning numerous prestigious awards. The lab has also been selected as the lead institution for the 2024 Global Culture Technology (CT) Professional Training Program and the Content One Campus Establishment and Operation Support Project, both supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency. Through these initiatives, AT Lab is taking a leading role in fostering global talent in cultural technology and cultivating creative professionals in interdisciplinary convergence.