The feature film conference ZFICTION.24 will take place on March 21./22. 2024 on stage A in the Gessnerallee at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in Zurich. "Future Bodies - Screen Acting in the Digital Age" examines contemporary and future developments in film acting from multiple perspectives against the backdrop of digital transformation and taking into account current models of participation and diversity.
Zurich’s Feature Film Conference ZFICTION.24 is dedicated to the art of screen acting. We will explore the role of thespians in contemporary filmmaking under the banner „Future Bodies – Screen Acting in the Digital Age“.
What is „screen acting“? Which are its working conditions? How can the collaboration between actors, coaches and producers succeed both artistically and ethically? Who is allowed to play which role – and why? Are actors turned into data suppliers for digital workflows with AI? What constitutes contemporary acting training?
At ZFICTION.24, filmmakers, actors, researchers and students will meet with international guests at the Theater an der Gessnerallee for a professional and creative exchange. Experts from academia and practice will provide insights into current developments in participation, diversity and collaboration in the „play-director-coach“ triangle. The influence of computer algorithms on future fields of work for actors will be discussed, and ethical issues related to the use of artificial „intelligence“ and generative algorithms examined. These topics will be complemented by psychological and film studies perspectives.
Presentations and case studies will feature Mel Churcher (coach and author of „A Screen Acting Workshop“), Jessica Hartley (Royal School of Speech and Drama London, „Dignity in Actor Training“), Dominic Lees (University of Reading, „The Digital Face and Deepfakes on Screen“), Ella Rumpf (actress), Cheryl Burniston (motion capture artist), Thalia Goldstein (GM University, Virgina, USA, „Psychological Perspectives on Acting“), Johannes Riis (University of Copenhagen, „Acting“), Anja Klöck (HMT Leipzig, „Spielräume professionellen Schauspielens und digitale Transformation“), Luis August Krawen (Video-Künstler Schauspielhaus Hamburg, Schauspielhaus Zürich, Residenztheater München), Katalin Gödrös (director and professor ifs Cologne), Maryam Touzani (Director, Screenwriter, Actress), Raquel Kishori Dukpa (Jünglinge, Casting, Screenwriter), Piotr Mirowski (Google DeepMind, Improbotics „Human-AI Improvisation“), Luba Elliott (Creative AI Researcher, Curator), Corinna Glaus (Casting) and Kay Kysela (actor).
ZFICTION.24 offers a platform for further education and in-depth exploration of the art that breathes life into fictional films.