Boutique sales company Asian Shadows has acquired “Vertigo Garden,” the new feature from Chinese filmmaker and animation artist Lei Lei, ahead of its world premiere in the Envision Competition at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
\n\nThis is Lei’s second feature. IDFA has also nominated it for the Beeld en Geluid IDFA ReFrame Award, which honors creative work with archival material.
\n\n“Vertigo Garden” unfolds at the Lushan Botanical Garden and follows the life of its botanist. His body is found in the snow and ice at the top of Lushan Mountain, with both body and brain intact. Scientists study the brain, use AI to reproduce his memories and set them loose in a digital world. Through conversation, the film pieces together the botanist’s storied bond with the metasequoia tree and his efforts to communicate with the planet’s memories through these ancient trees.
\n\nLei uses the metasequoia to probe how memory, life and the planet connect, combining documentary, 3D animation and experimental techniques.
\n\n“I believe that Asian Shadows and its team truly love the film. They will treat this film like their own child and promote it to meet audiences around the world, which for me goes beyond what is…
Original source: https://variety.com/