Two Events with the Kissinger Twins
Sufferosa and Transmedia Storytelling across Different Platforms
Wednesday, October 4, 8:00 pm
721 Broadway, Room 674
Sufferosa is the Webby Award-winning anti-ageist project created by The Kissinger Twins. It first debuted in 2006 as an experimental short film and has since evolved into one of the largest online interactive films ever made in 2010, a live cinema performance in 2012, and an acclaimed Instagram interactive film series in 2020.
Thematically, it is a neo-noir thriller and a satire on the cultural obsession with beauty and youth in the present-day world.
The project pays homage to classic cinema, drawing inspiration from works such as Jean-Luc Godard's 'Alphaville,' American film-noir, and Jerzy Has's masterpiece, 'The Saragossa Manuscript.'
The story follows a private eye Ivan Johnson looking for a missing woman. His investigation leads him to Professor Carlos von Braun, who works on rejuvenation treatment. Von Braun orders Johnson to be drugged and taken to his clinic located on Miranda island. A few days later Johnson wakes up in a cell. This is where an interactive part begins.
Free and open to the public. RSVP required.
Cinematic Labyrinths: Interactive Storytelling from Flash to Unreal
Friday, October 6, 6:00 pm
Michelson Theater, 721 Broadway
The line between film, and video games gradually blurs. Are we playing a film, or watching a video game? The Kissinger Twins duo present their way from the early internet non-linear narratives to modern video games.
The Twins will talk about a constantly changing landscape of interactive storytelling, and present their award-winning projects. From Flash extravaganzas such as “Someday on the Misty Island", to “Sufferosa” one of the biggest web-based interactive films ever made, the AI-driven interactive film “Your Data Mirror”, and finally their newest narrative video game “Dustopia”.
Free and open to the public. RSVP required.
Artist Biography
Kasia Kifert and Dawid Marcinkowski, AKA The Kissinger Twins, are a four-time Webby Award-winning directorial duo and new media artists. The twins blend technology with narrative, creating non-linear storytelling projects, interactive films, and video games. They are the creators of artistic projects such as 'Your Data Mirror,' 'Evolution of AI,' 'Sufferosa,' and 'The Trip,' as well as films and experiences for brands and institutions like Expedia, Netflix, Channel4, and the European Commission. They are welcomed speakers and judges at film and new media festivals, including Reykjavik IFF, SXSW MeConvention, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, YouTube Day, onedotzero London, and Nederlands Film Festival.
www.kissingertwins.com
Events organized by Professor Marina Hassapopoulou.
