The Remarkable Life Of Ibelin

Directed by Benjamin Ree
Norway
2024
104 mins

Synopsis

Winner of the Sundance World Cinema Documentary Directing and Audience Awards, this singular, exceptionally powerful documentary reveals a boy’s hidden – and deeply cherished – online life in a video game, discovered by his parents after his death.

Keen gamer Mats Steen was just 25 when he died of a degenerative muscular disease that severely impacted his movement and speech. His parents mourned not only the death of their son, but the experiences he had missed out on. But then they discovered his other life: Mats’ World of Warcraft persona, Ibelin, sulks, jogs, makes friends and falls in love. Norwegian filmmaker Benjamin Ree (The Painter and the Thief) makes use of reconstructed animated gameplay as well as interviews with Mats' online community to reveal the complex, vibrant life that Ibelin/Mats enjoyed in this extraordinarily moving film.

Limited seats are available for patrons requiring access for wheelchairs, low vision and hearing loop. Please contact our ticketing team directly on 1300 733 733 or tickets@sff.org.au to complete your booking.

You need time to unwrap the ball of emotion whose centre turned you to tears. Ibelinu2026 is a special film
Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

Tickets

Sat 8 June 2024, 8:30am
Event Cinemas George Street - Cinema 9
Assisted ListeningWheelchairSubtitled
Mon 10 June 2024, 6:30am
Event Cinemas George Street - Cinema 5
Assisted ListeningWheelchairSubtitled
Aboriginal FlagTorres Strait Flag

Sydney Film festival acknowledges Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF is based.

We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

Don’t miss a thing!

Whether you’re in Sydney or one of our rural locations, sign up to our newsletters for all the latest news and offers.

Don't miss a thing!

Whether you're in Sydney or one of our rural locations, sign up to our newsletters for all the latest news and offers.