Viborg Animation Festival is proud to present the VAF Artist of 2024: Austrian artist and filmmaking collective, Total Refusal. By upcycling AAA video games like Red Dead Redemption, Battlefield and Grand Theft Auto, the self-proclaimed pseudo-Marxist media guerrilla group aims to reveal the political apparatus beyond the glossy and hyperreal textures of this media. Through in-game performances, exhibitions and Machinima short films Total Refusal challenges the game design put forward by game producers and industry.
VAF Artist Short films
11/09
VAF Artist exhibition
09/09 - 15/09
VAF artist talk
11/09
VAF Artist presents: machinima Short film
12/09
VAF Artist presents: Knit's Island
15/09
Why is it that the vast majority of video games have us experience war through the eyes of the masculine heroic soldier time and again? How come the path through most games reflects the meritocratic journey to domination? What do these stories of individual heroism tell us about how entertainment media shape our concept of society?
“Films and games are much more than just entertainment – they are a reflection of our society and values, and they are a powerful force that shapes us as human beings. That is why we are very keen to share Total Refusal and their work with our audiences at this year’s festival, to openly discuss and talk about what we consume and produce and how that feeds in to the world we live in, and the future we are building”, Jane Lyngbye Hvid Jensen, Festival Director – Viborg Animation Festival
The films and performances of Total Refusal have been presented at Berlinale 2020, Locarno Film Festival 2022 and at MoMA in New York City. Their trackrecord sports more than 60 awards and honorable mentions from festivals and competitions all over the world.
Viborg Animation Festival 2024 welcomes Total Refusal as VAF Artist 2024 and are looking forward to showcase their work through the public exhibition, screening more of the groups’ films in Nordisk Film Cinema Viborg, and offering you a chance to ask them all your burning questions at the Q&A Talk at (TBA).
What is VAF Artist?
VAF Artist is a defining cornerstone in VAF’s DNA. Every year VAF search the international animation scene to select a brilliant and boundary-pushing artist to become the ambassador for the festival week. Here the artist presents their work and engages in multiple events in the local environment during the festival. The VAF Artist, whose works and ideas challenge the status quo, personifies the very spirit of the festival in breaking down boundaries and cultivating an inclusive and inspiring artistic community.
Panel discussion with previous VAF Artist Nikki Lindroth Von Bahr
Previous VAF Artists
