Light Pillar

A hauntingly original sci-fi animation from China, Light Pillar is set on a wintry, abandoned film studio compound, where a lonely janitor is drawn into a virtual journey that blurs the line between dreaming and waking.

The film studio is bankrupt, though the great sets remain, ranging from a Great Sphinx to the Forbidden City. With no money left for wages, remaining staff are offered alternative compensation and Zha ends up with a VR Headset, which draws him into a strange virtual world.

“A gentle and beautifully animated sci-fi fable about loneliness, memory and virtual dreams. Xu Zao blends hand-drawn animation with heartfelt storytelling to create a poetic, quietly moving debut.” — Dionar Hidalgo, Algo Más Que Cine