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The Korea National University of Arts (President Dae-jin Kim) proudly announces that the AI-based virtual reality work ⟪8pm and the Cat⟫, produced by the Convergence Arts Center's Art & Technology Lab (AT Lab), has been officially invited to the Venice International Film Festival.

Recognized as one of the most prestigious global festivals in film and advanced media, the Venice International Film Festival selected ⟪8pm and the Cat⟫ as the only Korean work invited to its Immersive category this year.

                                                                                                                                                  <8pm and the cat> image of a work

The work follows a narrative in which the protagonist, who has lost a lover in a sudden accident in Itaewon, navigates grief and emotional absence through an AI-driven real-time image and monologue generation system. Choi Min-hyuk, a student majoring in Multimedia Video Arts, directed the piece to guide audiences through a journey of mourning and remembrance. The festival described the project as “a creative and touching work that uses artificial intelligence poetically and delicately to evoke deep emotional resonance.”

※ Full link to the Interview:

- https://xrmust.com/xrmagazine/liz-rosenthal-michel-reilhac-venice-immersive-2025/

This immersive experience was initially developed in a global exchange class co-hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and later refined through AT Lab's flagship production and creative upgrade programs.

Lee Seung-moo, professor of film and producer of the project, emphasized, “It is especially meaningful that the AI-based model of education, research, and creativity fostered by AT Lab since 2020 has been internationally recognized. This encapsulates the direction of both the work and AT Lab’s mission.”

K-ARTS AT Lab is a creative and production research institute that aims to integrate science and technology, culture and arts, industry and education, and has been invited to major film festivals such as Sundance, Cannes, and Tribeca by ⟪ Scarecrow ⟫ and ⟫ Lane Prutz ⟪ to win a number of awards. Following the invitation of ⟪ Fly To You ⟫ to SXSW in March and ⟪ Scarecrow: Rickindl ⟫ to win the Raindance Film Festival in June, the company once again proved its global creative capabilities based on convergence arts education. It is also leading the R&D and global industrialization of artificial intelligence storytelling through the "Global Culture and Technology (CT) Professional Training Project" supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, and the "AI Drama Production Project" with Studio Dragon.