After appearances at Tribeca and Cannes, the team behind Madrid Noir is pleased to announce their recent Children and Family EMMY award win in the Outstanding Interactive Media category. Written and directed by James A. Castillo, produced by Atlas V, No Ghost Studio with support from Unreal Engine Epic Mega Grants and Meta, Madrid Noir is a thrilling, interactive VR mystery adventure available on Oculus Meta Quest via an Oculus VR headset.
“Madrid Noir was first and foremost a labor of love,” said producer Lawrence Bennett shortly after the win. “The amount of energy and passion poured into it by the whole team was truly unbelievable. This Emmy is for every single member of that team. It is a monumental achievement to take an idea formed in the pub and take it all the way to the top. Madrid Noir was my first piece of long-form scriptwriting and was written and created throughout the difficulties of the pandemic. This recognition is a testament to the resilience and creative flair of those team members and to the power of the medium to touch people’s hearts.”
Madrid Noir follows a disenchanted young woman, Lola, as she arrives in Madrid to the empty apartment her estranged uncle left behind after being declared dead. Soon, Lola is compelled to dig into her memories, where she’ll pick up her uncle’s shadowy trail and attempt to piece together the puzzles of the past. Staged as an awe-inspiring theatre production, this charming mystery unfolds across a city that lives in the night, a Madrid now lost to time.
“Writing on Madrid Noir was a truly collaborative, creative, and joyful journey, from start to end,” said writer Lydia Rynne. “I fell in love with the thrilling world and unique characters whilst writing them, and I’m chuffed to bits that so many others have connected with it too. To me, Madrid Noir is about determination, as we follow a little girl trusting her gut and carrying on with her mission, even when she’s lost and frightened in the middle of a big, strange city. It’s humbling to know that the Madrid Noir team’s determination to tell this story has been recognized too.”
Credits for Madrid Noir (Available on Oculus):
Produced by: Atlas V and No Ghost Studio
Director: James Castillo
Producers: Emmanuel Bernard, Antoine Cayrol, Arnaud Colinart, Luke Gibbard, Corentin Lambot, Craig Skerry, Yelena Rachistky, Dash Spiegelman
Writers: Lawrence Bennett, Lydia Rynne
Performers: Godeliv Brandt, Fernando Guillén Cuervo
CG Supervisor: Thomas Flavelle
Animation Director: Aziz Kocanaogullari
Music Composer: Carlos Rodriguez Rodriguez