“Wish I never grew up”, we often tell ourselves, while caught in the everyday commotion of adulthood, responsibilities, and real-life consequences of our actions. What if putting on a Virtual Reality headset allowed you to do just that, to go back to a period of pure imagination? In “Lily’s Day”, audiences re-live the magical experience of visiting a toy shop and getting mesmerized. With her family going through a rough patch, Lily must consider the impacts of her decisions as she faces the bittersweetness of responsibilities. Throughout the film, her agency comes at an intersection with that of adult viewers, exploring children’s naive yet intelligent outlook on life.
Sina Dolati is an Iranian-Canadian film, VR, music video, and commercial director based in Toronto, Canada. His most recent accolades include directing a music video for Big Wreck (Warner Music Canada), a series of videos for Juno award winning Indigenous band The Halluci Nation (formerly known as A Tribe Called Red), and a commercial series for revolutionary startup Ample Labs, with the goal of alleviating homelessness in urban areas. His latest VR short film Lily’s Day has been an Official Selection at Academy Award qualifying festivals Nashville Film Festival and deadCentre Film Festival, and will have its Greece premiere at the 17th ADAF.
Sina holds an MA from Ryerson University RTA School of Media, where he focused on immersive media and Virtual Reality filmmaking. He is also a Co-Founder of Toronto New Wave, a non-profit annual film, music and interactive media festival currently in its fourth year.
