Venice Immersive 2025: A Gathering on the Island, Showcasing the Year's Essential Extended Reality Experiences
Venice Immersive, a significant section of the esteemed Venice International Film Festival, has established itself as a leading platform for immersive media experiences. This competitive program, part of the Venice Biennale Cinema, showcases cutting-edge immersive media experiences, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), 360° environments, interactive installations, and other forms of extended reality (XR).
A Blurred Line between Cinema, Art, and Technology
Unlike traditional film screenings, Venice Immersive invites attendees to enter and interact with immersive stories and environments, blurring the lines between cinema, art, and technology. This unique approach allows audiences to participate in the narratives, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and narrative innovation.
A Global Showcase for XR Innovation
Each year, Venice Immersive features nearly 70 XR projects from around the world, with about 30 competing for awards within the festival’s immersive section. This makes it a leading global showcase for XR innovation, providing a premier venue for artists, technologists, and filmmakers to premiere innovative XR works.
The Immersive Island of Lazzaretto Vecchio
The immersive island location of Lazzaretto Vecchio exemplifies this unique real-world setting integrated into the festival experience. This former plague quarantine station now serves as the home for Venice Immersive, adding a layer of historical significance to the event.
Notable Works at Venice Immersive
Some of the notable works showcased at Venice Immersive include "The Great Orator," an open-world, AI-driven narrative about a preacher whose identity blurs with that of her followers, and "Ghost Town," a cinematic VR puzzle-adventure set in a deserted settlement. Other works include "Sense of Nowhere," a dreamlike navigation inspired by Taoism, Buddhism, and Jung's active imagination, and "The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up," an adaption of Wu Ming-yi's novel into a roaming VR journey of grief, myth, and ecological mystery.
Awards and Recognition
Venice Immersive awards three Lions in XR: the Grand Prize, Special Jury Prize, and Achievement Prize. This year, the program hosts 14 projects seeking financing and 10 from the Biennale College Immersive program.
Fostering a Global Creative Community
The head programmers of Venice Immersive, Liz Rosenthal and Michel Reilhac, aim to foster a global creative community. Works presented at Venice Immersive must be world premieres, with some exceptions for international premieres.
In summary, Venice Immersive is a significant platform that pioneers immersive storytelling within one of the world’s most prestigious cinematic festivals. It provides a premier venue for artists, technologists, and filmmakers to premiere innovative XR works, elevating XR media to high artistic and cultural status. The immersive island location of Lazzaretto Vecchio contributes to the festival’s blend of culture, art, and technology, encouraging networking and the growth of a global creative community.
- The Venice International Film Festival's immersive section, Venice Immersive, is not only a leading platform for immersive media experiences such as VR, AR, MR, and XR, but it also blures the lines between lifestyle, entertainment, and technology, creating a unique approach where audiences can interact with narratives and joyously participate in the fusion of cinema, art, and technology.
- As a global showcase for XR innovation, Venice Immersive's annual event presents nearly 70 projects from around the world, competing for awards and offering a premium stage for artists, technologists, and filmmakers to premiere groundbreaking works, thereby fostering a dynamic community that thrives on the intersection of sports, culture, art, and technology.
