Ancestors

Ancestors.
Image: Hanna Haaslahti / Fantomatico.

Original title: Ancestors
Title in Finnish: Kaltaiset
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
Unity developer: Charu Tak
Digital wigs: Hamza Khaloui
Finance:
AVEK / Milla Moilanen
AVEK Mediarata
EU Creative Media
Film Tampere
Niilo Helander Foundation
YLE / Raimo Lång
Forums & Labs:
Sundance New Frontier Lab 2022, VRDays’ Immersive Tech Week Impulse 2022, IFFR Pro Immersive CineMart 2023, IDFA DocLab Forum 2023.
Phase: In production
Project manager: Alap Parikh
Animation studio producer: Harmke Heezen
Co-development: Digital Culture Center MEET (Italy), Diversion (France)
Premiere: Tampere Art Museum
Sept 27, 2025 – Jan 11, 2026
Producers:
Tuuli Penttinen-Lampisuo / Poike Productio
Raimo Lång / Yle Lab
Distributor: Diversion
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.