Mrs Benz
Synopsis
Set in 1888 Germany, the experience centres on Bertha’s daring 120-kilometre journey, undertaken in secret and against the conventions of her time. What began as an act of quiet defiance became a turning point in global innovation, reshaping history itself.
Official Selection Cannes Film Festival - Cannes Immersive 2025
Details
- Year
- 2025
- Type of project
- XR / Immersive
- Running time
- 20 min
- Format
- VR Interactive Experience
- Director
-
Eloise Singer
- Producer
- Singer Studios
- Executive Producer
- Eloise Singer, Daisy Ridley, Dave Ranyard, Lesley Paterson
- Screenwriter
- Jedidjah Julia Noomen, Eloise Singer
- Production Designer
- Will Brosch
- Sound
- Matthew McGuinness
- Composer
- Mike Ladouceur
- Principal cast
- Daisy Ridley, David Brückner
- Project Notes
- Directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Eloise Singer and starring Daisy Ridley, this narrative-driven VR experience premiered in competition at Venice Film Festival, and went on to premiere at Cannes, SXSW, Sheffield Doc/Fest, and Berlin. The project is now regarded as a significant work in immersive storytelling, bringing to light the story of a woman long overlooked in the history of innovation.
- Project Title Note
- FKA Trailblazer
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
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See also
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The Pirate Queen
Director: Eloise Singer
Year: 2023
Set in the South China Sea during the early 19th century, THE PIRATE QUEEN tells the extraordinary true-inspired story of Cheng Shih, a woman who rose from obscurity to command the largest pirate confederation in recorded history. When her husband dies at sea, Cheng Shih inherits a fragile empire on the brink of collapse. Surrounded by rival captains, internal betrayal, and escalating imperial pressure, she must outmanoeuvre enemies on all sides to keep Red Flag Fleet together. Through strategic brilliance and ruthless restraint, she transforms from an underestimated widow into a leader whose authority rivals the world’s greatest navies. This narrative-driven VR experience places audiences inside Cheng Shih’s ascent to power. Developed over five years in collaboration with historians and cultural advisors, the project draws on extensive research into Qing Dynasty China and British–Chinese relations. Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2023
deactivated record - Mrs Benz
Director: Eloise Singer
Year: 2022
Step into the shoes of Bertha Benz, the wife of Karl Benz and inventor of the first automobile. Set in 1886 Germany, explore the workshop and discover Bertha's backstory, search for the blueprints to the world's first car, assemble the engine for her husband's invention, and embark on a road trip that will change the course of history. Official Selection Venice Film Festival 2022 - World premiere Official Selection SXSW Film Festival 2023 - North American premiere
What Happened to the Newalls?
Director: Eloise Singer
Year: 2023
Elizabeth and Nicholas Newall disappear amidst the Great Storm of 1987 on Jersey. Mismatching alibis, gossip and questionable police work points to their sons, Rod and Mark. The case becomes a murder investigation when forensics discover blood, but without substantial evidence, the case goes cold. The Newalls are declared dead and the brothers leave the island, claiming the nearly £1million inheritance. Mark thrives in finance but Rod is consumed by guilt while travelling. Rod returns in 1992 and the police covertly record his murder confession. Rod leaves partway, outmanoeuvring the police in a motorway chase but is later arrested at gun-point in international waters on the HMS Argonaut, beginning a long extradition process in Gibraltar. Mark is arrested in Paris, but continues to manipulate Rod and the legal proceedings. Corruption, bribery and escape attempts lead the prosecutors to agree a secret deal with the defence. Rod pleads guilty to double murder and reveals the bodies whilst Mark pleads guilty only to aiding and abetting. Rod serves 12 years, Mark just 20 months. Mark claims the inheritance and now both have disappeared - neither the police nor the Jersey community know their whereabouts. Questions of motive, corruption and money remain unanswered.