Ancestors

Ancestors.
Image: Hanna Haaslahti / Fantomatico.

Original title: Ancestors
Title in Finnish: Esivanhemmat
Genre: immersive experience
Duration: appr. 30’
Script: Hanna Haaslahti
Dramaturgist: Raimo Lång
Original concept:
Hanna Haaslahti & Steye Hallema
Director: Hanna Haaslahti
Mimics: Marc Gassot, Laura Rämä
Creative technologists:
Tyler Henry, Alap Parikh, Mike Robbins
Finance:
AVEK / Milla Moilanen
YLE / Raimo Lång
EU Creative Media
AVEK Mediarata
Forums & Labs:
Sundance New Frontier Lab (2022), VRDays’ Immersive Tech Week Impulse (2022), IFFR Pro Immersive CineMart (2023), IDFA DocLab Forum (2023).
Phase: In development
Project manager: Alap Parikh
Animation studio producer: Harmke Heezen
Co-development: Digital Culture Center MEET (Italy), Diversion Cinema (France)
Premiere: Tampere Art Museum
Sept 27, 2025 – Jan 11, 2026
Producers:
Tuuli Penttinen-Lampisuo / Poike Productio
Raimo Lång / Yle Lab
Distributor: Diversion Cinema
Executive producer: Hanna Haaslahti / Fantomatico

Ancestors is a location based immersive family drama experience. Set in an unknown future and inspired by the legacy of TV family drama, it explores the strange crossroads where you meet your Digital Double and its family caught in a mysterious social simulation. Weird, cinematic and rooted in ludic characters, Ancestors is a combination of human drama and emotional family encounters.

The narrative proposes to rethink how families are socially created, and what is our responsibility for future generations as good ancestors. Combining AI and narrative possibilities of real time 3D face capturing, Ancestors enables people to see their own faces mix and generate virtual families. Each Ancestors family tree will be a unique, one-time combination of the people participating.