One poster for the film Killing a Superstar Photo: Courtesy of iQIYI

The Chinese Virtual Reality (VR) film Killing a Superstar won the award for Best VR Immersive Story at the 77th Venice International Film Festival, becoming the first VR work from the Chinese mainland to be awarded at an A-level international film festival.

Produced by Chinese streaming giant iQIYI, Killing a Superstar is a suspense film that tells interwoven stories of various characters confined in a luxury villa where a sudden homicide took place. iQIYI's VR team used advanced technology to create the high-quality interactive VR content based on an original script.

By giving the audience the freedom to switch between scenes at any time, the film invites users to explore the film's storyline and narrative logic. Users can also identify clues and complete tasks while watching to create a unique and engaging experience.

In 2017, the Venice International Film Festival became the first festival to set up a separate competition section for VR, attracting many film and television companies, creators and artists from all over the world to dedicate themselves to new creations that are different from traditional film and television content.

Another iQIYI's VR film, The Last One Standing VR, was shortlisted in the VR competition section of the 75th Venice International Film Festival in 2018.

Killing a Superstar was released on July 31 on iQIYI for users in the Chinese mainland.