Illya Szilak

Teaches at Made in NY Media Center by IFP

Illya Szilak is a writer, director, and interactive storyteller. Shaped by her experiences as a physician, her artistic practice explores embodiment, identity, and belief in a media-inundated and increasingly virtual world. Cyril Tsiboulski is her longtime artistic partner. Their online works are taught frequently on a university level as notable examples of innovative storytelling and digital literature. Their first VR experience Queerskins: a love story premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival in 2018 and was exhibited widely including commissioned installations at the L.A. Film Festival, the Houston Cinematic Arts Festival and a month-long solo show at The Toronto International Film Festival’s TIFF Light Box Gallery. Their second VR experience Queerskins Ark incorporates 360 video, 3D volumetric video, and interactive dance, and has been chosen for the Venice Biennale College VR Cinema Lab 2019. They are recipients of grants from The Sundance Institute, The Tribeca Film Institute, and The Peter Reed Foundation.