Jailbirds

Jailbirds is a 30-minute virtual reality story adapted from Philippe FOERSTER’s comic “Paulot s’évade.” Across three chapters, you witness the story of Felix, a good giant imprisoned in the nightmarish citadel of Bwa-Kayiman. At times you share his cell; during his nightly travels, you fly with him through the air.

Felix and the Chief Warden

Bwa-Kayiman is a dehumanizing prison where inmates endure bullying and psychological torture from the petty Chief Warden. Felix, serving a life sentence for his gang’s crimes, remains happy despite the abuse. A repentant giant, he finds calm in meditation and drawing; his tiny cell is covered with pictures of colorful, beautiful places. His contentment angers the Chief Warden, who believes prisoners should suffer and atone, and vows to break Felix’s mind.

Felix’s happiness rests on a secret. Each night he drinks a magic tea, and his eyes leave his body, grow hummingbird wings and fly away. Through them, he travels wherever he wants, free despite being in jail—but the Chief Warden wants to stop him.

A story in virtual reality

Built like a feature film, Jailbirds uses six degrees of freedom (6DOF) as you watch the story unfold and accompany Felix on his flights. The tale combines horror and satire, suspense and dark humor, with a darkly poetic fantasy about freedom and finding simple happiness through hardship and suffering.