LifeLike
A mesmerising mix of VR-Chat 3D avatars, Instagram stories and raw drama.
Social media gives us the chance to escape reality, invent new identities and avoid the pain of the real world. People only post what they want others to see, while keeping their true selves hidden. VR-Chat offers endless possibilities in stunning rooms where you can lose hours interacting with vibrant avatars whose real-life stories remain a mystery.
For the terminally ill Izzet, time is nearly up. Doctors have given up, prayers and rituals offer little help, and his family’s future is now in God’s hands. So Izzet spends his time in virtual reality, roaming through the astonishing and otherworldly places of the virtual cosmos. He even meets his girlfriend there…
His mother, Reyhan, pretends as if nothing’s wrong, and takes refuge in social media, smiling for her followers. In reality, she has become fixated on a wild plant rumoured to be able to cure his son. Izzet’s father Abdi, a withdrawn school-bus driver, invites Izzet along for a drive in search of the magical plant and possible remedy.
Selin and Ali, the sibling producer-director duo captivatingly connect the real and the virtual. Actors play their avatars, and the camera work immerses viewers in the virtual anime world of endless possibilities.
Edvinas Pukšta
Ali Vatansever (1981) was born in Istanbul, and studied industrial product design and film and TV there. After that he continued his studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, studying film production. In 2003, he started his career directing short films. His debute feature, “El Yazısı” (“One Day or Another”, 2012), was screened at numerous international film festivals and was distributed in movie theatres throughout Turkey. His second feature, “Saf” (2018), premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In addition to filmmaking, he has taught film production at Koç University and Istanbul Technical University. He is the co-founder of Terminal Film production company.
Filmography:
El Yazisi (2012), Saf (2018), Bir Arada Yalniz (LifeLike, 2025)
Grand Prix for The Best Film, grant of 20 000 euros from the city of Tallinn, Award for Best Director, grant of 5000€ from Alexela
