Tribeca Film Festival played host to the official screening of
Courtesy of Donald Bowers, Getty Images
Courtesy of Donald Bowers, Getty Images
Courtesy of Donald Bowers, Getty Images
Courtesy of Donald Bowers, Getty Images
BEYOND: Two Souls™ that included a panel discussion with the title’s Game Director David Cage and Hollywood cast on Saturday. Developed exclusively for the PlayStation®3 system by award-winning studio Quantic Dream, BEYOND: Two Souls has been recognized as an Official Selection by the Tribeca Film Festival for its impact on the Future of Film. BEYOND: Two Souls delivers a gripping, non-chronological narrative that features performances by acclaimed actors Ellen Page (Juno, X-Men), Willem Dafoe (Platoon, Spider-Man), Kadeem Hardison (A Different World, The Dark Party) and Eric Winter (The Ugly Truth, The Mentalist).
BEYOND: Two Souls takes players across the globe on a journey that explores 15 years of Jodie Holmes’ (Page) life. The original story seems to have jumped right from the silver screen, as main character Jodie, who was born with a connection to a mysterious entity called Aiden with incredible powers, discovers the truth about life, death and who she is. Nathan Dawkins (Dafoe) is a government scientist whose professional curiosity in Jodie, driven by personal tragedy, is a central theme that provides a rich and evocative narrative.
The exclusive post-screening panel featured actors Ellen Page, Kadeem Hardison and Eric Winter. During the discussion, they spoke of how their professional acting backgrounds contributed to their performance in this genre defining game. Additionally they discussed the challenges of working in a mo-cap studio to produce such an epic story. Often void of any traditional inspiration such as costumes, props and environments, the mocap studio is a vacuum created to capture true performance.
“Jodie is a complex and engaging character, and I was thrilled at the opportunity to bring her to life,” said Ellen Page. “BEYOND: Two Souls is the first game I’ve worked on and I hope that the audience connects with the emotional experience to feel like they are taking part in a feature film the whole way through.”
Quantic Dream used cutting-edge performance capture technology that allowed the actors’ performances and expressions to transcend the gaming medium, making the spectacular life of main character, Jodie Holmes, tangible and real. “Quantic Dream is incredibly proud to share this vision of storytelling in games that redefines and breaks the boundaries of what games can achieve. We hope that BEYOND’s recognition as an Official Selection of the Tribeca Film Festival will only act as a catalyst to create more emotionally-charged games that explore mature themes,” said David Cage, founder of Quantic Dream.
The exclusive scene revealed at the Tribeca Film Festival, titled “Homeless,” follows Jodie during an emotionally and physically challenging part of her life where she is homeless and must find the will to survive in dire circumstances. The scene explores the relationships she forms with other homeless characters and the challenges they face, including finding their next meal, struggling to survive and retaining their belief in humanity.
