The selection process for Venice Immersive, the XR – Extended Reality segment of the 80th Venice International Film Festival (30th August – 9th September 2023) organized by La Biennale di Venezia, has been concluded. The official program will unfold on the Venice Immersive Island (located on the island of Lazzaretto Vecchio), just a short distance away from Lido di Venezia, on the following dates:

• 29th August (afternoon): Exclusive press preview
• 30th August: Open exclusively to accredited Press and Industry professionals
• 31st August – 9th September: Open to the general public and all accredited visitors

Venice Immersive exclusively celebrates immersive media, encompassing all XR forms of creative expression, such as 360° videos and XR works of varying lengths, including installations and virtual worlds. In collaboration with HTC Vive and VRChat, Venice Immersive will showcase 44 projects from 25 different countries, with 24 works featured in the Worlds Gallery section:

• 28 projects in Competition
• 10 projects Out of Competition – Best of Venice Immersive (highlighting outstanding works previously released or premiered elsewhere since the last edition of the Venice International Film Festival)
• 6 projects developed during the Biennale College Cinema – VR: including 1 project produced with support from the seventh edition grant and 5 projects developed within the international workshop of previous editions
• 24 virtual worlds selected for the Worlds Gallery, presented in guided World Hops Tours, where visitors will experience immersive guided tours through the VRChat Worlds. This curated selection features virtual immersive worlds created by independent artists worldwide.

Moreover, the Venice Immersive World on VRChat will present a virtual rendition of the Venice Immersive Island. Following its success in previous editions, the Worlds Gallery will showcase a curated selection of 24 virtual worlds.

The Venice International Film Festival was among the first to express interest in Virtual Reality, with the introduction of a VR Theatre in 2016, which garnered significant attention during the Venice Production Bridge events. Subsequently, La Biennale di Venezia launched the initial VR competition in an A-list festival in 2017, held for three editions until 2019, with an International Jury evaluating the entries on the island of Lazzaretto Vecchio on the Lido. In response to the need for social distancing, the festival made Venice VR Expanded accessible online in 2020 and 2021, ensuring continued engagement with this emerging art form. In 2022, the section was reintroduced in person, now renamed Venice Immersive, and returned to the island.

Accredited visitors to the Venice Film Festival will have complete access to all titles in the lineup. Additionally, there will be a special Venice Immersive Pass available for interested visitors who are not accredited at the Festival. The Venice Immersive Subscription, available in two formats, 5-DAYS (€60) and FULL (€90), will be reserved for individuals over 18 years of age and valid for different durations during the festival.

The international Jury of Venice Immersive comprises distinguished members from the XR industry:

• Singing Chen (Taipei) – President: Known for her diverse works in fiction, documentary, and VR films, Singing Chen has received numerous accolades at various festivals. Her latest VR experience, The Man Who Couldn’t Leave (2022), received the Venice Immersive Best Experience award at the 79th Venice International Film Festival. Her collective work is characterized by a deep empathy for marginalized characters and a strong commitment to social justice.
• German Heller (USA): Co-founder and CEO of 3DAR, a leading company in virtual reality and animation, German Heller’s projects have earned nominations for Emmy awards and recognition at the Venice International Film Festival. Notably, Eggscape won the Venice Immersive Special Jury Prize at the festival in 2022. His expertise as a producer, writer, director, and game designer showcases innovation in XR and experiential design.
• Pedro Harres (Brazil): A multifaceted artist, director, animator, and screenwriter, Pedro Harres has explored various formats, from animation to fiction and traditional screen to XR, including interactive installations. His VR debut, From The Main Square, received the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival in 2022. Throughout his career, the Venice Film Festival has played a pivotal role, and his work has earned numerous awards and recognition.

In summary, Venice Immersive is set to offer an extraordinary experience of immersive media, featuring cutting-edge XR projects from around the globe, and continues to play a leading role in the evolution of Virtual Reality within the film festival landscape.

The 2023 Venice Immersive Jury will award the following prizes: 

• Venice Immersive Grand Prize
• Venice Immersive Special Jury Prize
• Venice Immersive Achievement Prize

VENICE IMMERSIVE

In Competition

EMPEREUR (EMPEROR)

by MARION BURGER, ILAN COHEN

France, Germany / 35’

SONGS FOR A PASSERBY

by CELINE DAEMEN

Netherlands / 25’

TULPAMANCER

by MARC DA COSTA, MATTHEW NIEDERHAUSER

USA / 20’

REMEMBER THIS PLACE: 31°20’46’’N 34°46’46’’E

by PATRICIA ECHEVERRIA LIRAS

Palestine, Qatar, Spain / 25’

LETTERS FROM DRANCY

by DARREN EMERSON

USA, UK / 22’ 

THE IMAGINARY FRIEND

by STEYE HALLEMA

Netherlands, Belgium, France / 26’

WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE GRAND GETAWAY

by FINBAR HAWKINS, BRAM TTWHEAM, LAWRENCE BENETT

France, UK / 60’

SEN

by KEISUKE ITOH

Japan / 15’

MY NAME IS O90

by SIYEON KIM

South Korea / 14’

COMFORTLESS

by GINA KIM

South Korea, USA / 15’

BODY OF MINE

by CAMERON KOSTOPOULOS

USA / 20’

ONEROOM-BABEL

by SANGHEE LEE

South Korea / 15’

CHEN XIANG VR

by LIU YUEJUN, WU NANNI, SHI TAO, XU JINGQIU

China / 45’

FLOW

by ADRIAAN LOKMAN

Netherlands, France / 15’

HOME

by TEMSUYANGER LONGKUMER

UK / 32’

PEUPLER (POPULATE)

by MAYA MOUAWAD, CYRIL LAURIER

France, Lebanon / 10’

FLOATING WITH SPIRITS

by JUANITA ONZAGA

Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands / 31’

SYUHASUU (FREQUENCY)

by ELLIE OMIYA

Japan / 25’

PEPITOS: THE BEAK SAGA

by RUXANDRA GABRIELA POPESCU

UK, USA / 13’

JIM HENSON’S THE STORYTELLER: THE SEVEN RAVENS

by PAUL RAPHAËL, FÉLIX LAJEUNESSE

Canada, USA / 20’

PERENNIALS

by ZOE ROELLIN

USA / 17’

FINALMENTE EU (FINALLY ME)

by MARCIO SAL

Brazil / 14’

GARGOYLE DOYLE

by ETHAN SHAFTEL

USA, Argentina, Austria / 38’

AUFWIND (UPWIND)

by FLORIAN SIEBERT

Germany / 28’

HORSE CANYON

by NPROWLER

Canada / 60’

SHADOWTIME

by SISTER SYLVESTER, DENIZ TORTUM

Netherlands, USA, Turkey / 20’

COMPLEX 7

by FINS

USA / 30’

SPOTS OF LIGHT

by ADAM WEINGROD

Israel, Canada / 14’

Best of Immersive – Out of Competition

(international selection of the best works that have been released or premiered elsewhere since the last edition of the Venice International Film Festival)

ANOTHER FISHERMAN’S TALE

by ALEXIS MOROZ, BALTHAZAR AUXIETRE

France / 240’ 

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH’S CONQUEST OF THE SKIES

by LEWIS BALL

UK, USA / 22’

THE FIRST INGREDIENT: TALES FROM SODA ISLAND – CH. 7

by SIMONE FOUGNIER

USA / 17’

SPACE EXPLORERS: BLUE MARBLE – ORBIT 1

by FÉLIX LAJEUNESSE, PAUL RAPHAËL

Canada / 24’

THE UTILITY ROOM

by LIONEL MARSDEN

UK / 80’ 

CONSENSUS GENTIUM

by KAREN PALMER

UK, USA / 25’

FORAGER

by WINSLOW PORTER, ELIE ZANANIRI

USA / 8’

OVER THE RAINBOW

by CRAIG QUINTERO

Taipei / 11’

PIXEL RIPPED 1978

by ANA RIBEIRO

USA / 20’

GAUDI, L’ATELIER DU DIVIN

by STÉPHANE LANDOWSKI, GAËL CABOUAT

France, Japan / 17’

Biennale College Cinema – VR – Out of Competition

QUEER UTOPIA: ACT I CRUISING

by LUI AVALLOS producer: RODRIGO MOREIRA

Portugal, Brazil / 25’

developed during the Biennale College Cinema VR, 6th edition (2021/2022) 

TALES OF THE MARCH

by STEFANO CASERTANO, producers: STEFANO CASERTANO, TIM DEUSSEN

Germany, Italy / 12’

developed during the Biennale College Cinema VR, 5th edition (2020/2021) 

FIRST DAY

by VALERIY KORSHUNOV, producer: SVITLANA KORSHUNOVA 

Ukraine / 15’

produced with the grant from Biennale College Cinema VR, 7th edition (2022/2023) 

HUMAN VIOLINS – PRELUDE

by IOANA MISCHIE, producers: IOANA MISCHIE, SORIN BAICAN, JEREMY SAHEL & co

Romania, France / 19’

developed during the Biennale College Cinema VR, 5th edition (2021/2022) 

ORIGEN

by EMILIA SÁNCHEZ CHIQUETTI, producer: EMILIA SÁNCHEZ CHIQUETTI

Brazil / 25’

developed during the Biennale College Cinema VR, 5th edition (2020/2021)

A VOCAL LANDSCAPE

by OMID ZAREI, ANNE JEPPESEN, producers: OMID ZAREI, ANNE JEPPESEN

Denmark, USA / 14’

developed during the Biennale College Cinema VR, 4th edition (2019/2020) 

Worlds Gallery

A TRIP IN THE FOREST by Thrіll

BEYOND A BIT – 想像のちょっと先へ by EstyOctober

BREAK SET by PK

CLUB DEVIATE by TOTC 

CUBES (EXPERIMENTAL) by phi16

CYBERLOVE OKINAWA ˸˸˸ 沖縄 by Artsy Glitch

DRAGON_TOWN by COMA.

EPILOGUE․ CHAPTER 1. by DrMorro

EPILOGUE․ CHAPTER 2. by DrMorro

EXHIBITION ⁄ LITTLE TRAITORS by haruki_haru

FATBOY SLIM – EAT, SLEEP, VR, REPEAT by Fatboy Slim, ENGAGE XR and Anglo Management

IY MMD WORLD by Iris Alias

LUMINESCENT LEDGE by Thorinair

PASS OF TIME by Karl Kroenen

REALITY IS WRONG by sɪᴍᴘʟᴇ – ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ

STORM DRAIN by @CattusEx

TARRIED PRECIPICE by Karl Koronan

TERRA COTTA VALLEY by Octuplex

THAD MANDELBOX by Thad Gyther

THAD RECURSIVE GARDEN by Thad Gyther

THAD RECURSIVE ROOM by Thad Gyther

THE SPARK OF THE WORLD by TSMRE

VEINPRM0118 by VEIN_A

ZEP’S PARTICLE HELL by Zepwlert

The second edition of the Venice Immersive Market (31 August – 5 September), a part of the Venice Production Bridge, will take place on the Venice Immersive Island (Lazzaretto Vecchio). In the Spazio Incontri Immersivo there will be, from 31st August to 5th September, panel discussions and activities dedicated to the world of XR – Extended Reality. The 2023 VPB Focus are Germany and Québec. German Films (Germany) and Sodec (Québec) will have dedicated areas within the context of VPB. 

The Island will also be the place where teams (producer and creator) related to the Immersive projects selected for the Venice Gap-Financing Market will gather (1 – 3 September 2023):

14 IMMERSIVE STORY PROJECTS

14 Immersive Story Projects (9 from Europe and 5 from the rest of the world), including fiction, documentaries and animation films and other interactive installation experiences. All the projects have 30% of their budget guaranteed.

11 PROJECTS AT BIENNALE COLLEGE CINEMA VR

11 projects developed during the Biennale College Cinema VR workshop, seventh edition, in various phases of development, from pre-production to post production. 

The Venice Immersive Market will be the place where institutions, professionals, production, post-production and distribution companies, public and private funds linked to the Immersive world will convene.