NewImages, the leading French festival of digital creation and virtual worlds, presented its fifth edition from June 8 through 12. Like its 2021 edition, the festival took place in the heart of the French capital at the Forum des Images, the event's organizer.
This year, fifteen international immersive works were in competition, including four French titles:
- Alicia, make me laugh! by Benjamin Huguet and Camille Fievez coproduced by Flair Production, France Télévisions, and Écoute Studio
- On the Morning You Wake (To The End Of The World) by Mike Brett, Steve Jamison, Pierre Zandrowicz, and Arnaud Colinart, produced by Atlas V
- Kubo Walks the City by Hayoun Kwon, produced by Innerspace VR France
- The Tree of Light by Yann Garreau and Charlotte-Amélie Veaux, produced by Onyo.
A retrospective was dedicated to artist François Vautier's trilogy.
French films at the awards
The jury, composed of Priscilla Guedes, Thomas More, Stéphane Foenkinos, and Abel Kohen (winner of the Unifrance/NewImages Festival Export Grant 2021), announced the Golden Mask and other prizes on Friday, June 12. Click here for the full awards list.
Unifrance renewed its partnership, initiated in 2021, with the NewImages Festival to award the prize for the best French XR work for export. Chosen by the jury, one of the French producers in competition received a €1,000 grant to help promote their work internationally during the year: the UniFrance / NewImages Festival 2022 Export Grant was awarded to the company Onyo, which produced The Tree of Light by Yann Garreau and Charlotte-Amélie Veaux.
- Kubo Walks the City by Hayoun Kwon received the Special Jury-LBE Prize.
- A Special Jury Prize was awarded to On the Morning You Wake (To The End Of The World) by Mike Brett, Steve Jamison, Pierre Zandrowicz, and Arnaud Colinart
- Boris Labbé was awarded the Farnese – Medicis XR Residency for his project Mono No Aware. This new residency is the first on this scale dedicated to immersive creation in Italy.
- Matthieu Prada was awarded the Taiwan XR Residency for his project Rencontres. The residency offers winners a unique experience to develop their project, in close cooperation with Taiwanese professionals, as well as local technical crews and production companies. During the six-to-eight week residency, they receive personalized support and coaching, and mentoring sessions.
Some works were also accessible on Alexandria, a virtual platform coproduced by NewImages Festival and Cannes XR during the festival.
