Discover the French XR works selected for the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival , which runs from August 30 to September 9 and showcases the diversity of France's creative talent.
Immersive works: Seven French works are selected: four in Competition and three Out of Competition. XR projects are also presented at the Gap Financing Market and Biennale College Cinema.
An essential venue for immersive formats, Venice Immersive Island will, as last year, bring together all the festival's immersive-related activities: immersive installations, viewing stations, conference rooms, networking, and social spaces... A unique setting for all the works that will enjoy their world premiere presentations there.
The XR Venice Immersive Jury is made up of Singing Chen, German Heller, and Pedro Harres, and will award three prizes: the Grand Jury Prize, the Best Experience Prize and the Best Story Prize.
28 international works in Competition, among which four are French:
- Wallace & Gromit - The Grand Getaway, co-directed by Finbar Hawkins, Bram Twheam, and Lawrence Benett, produced by Atlas V, and distributed by Astrea
- Emperor by Marion Berger and Ilan Cohen (photo), produced by Atlas V, and distributed by Astrea. Co-director Marion Berger's personal and intimate story of her father's aphasia, presented in WIP XR at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2023, will have its world premiere at Venice.
- Flow VR by Adriaan Lokman, produced by Lucid Realities, and distributed by Unframed Collection. Originally a director of short films, Lokman has adapted his own 2019 short into an immersive work.
- Peupler, a sensory work co-created by Maya Mouawad and Cyril Laurier, and produced by Be Contents, will also have its world premiere.
These four works are supported by the French Immersion XR program, initiated by Unifrance, the Institut français, and the CNC, consisting of two travel grants for each work in Competition.
Find out more about French Immersion XR and the other support opportunities offered by this program: https://www.unifrance.org/actualites/16617/un-renforcement-des-soutiens-a-la-xr-francaise-a-l-international
Three French works are also selected Out of Competition:
- Human Violins by Iona Mischie, produced by DA PROD
- Another Fisherman's Tale, co-directed by Balthazar Auxietre and Alexis Moroz, produced by Innerspace VR France
- Gaudí, the Atelier of the Divine created by Stéphane Landowski and Gaël Cabouat, co-produced by Gedeon Programmes and Small Creative.
In addition, two French projects will be presented at the Gap Financing Market and the Biennale College Cinema VR:
- Impulse: Playing with Reality by May Abdalla and Barry Gene Murphy, produced by Floréal
- The White Saboteur by Barthelemy Antoine-Loeffj and Hugo Arcier, produced by Risette
Finally, a delegation of nine XR professionals will attend Venice as part of the "Entreprendre dans la culture" mission initiated by the DGMIC and supported by Unifrance and PXN.
- Voyelle Acker / Small Creative
- Sarah Arnaud / Tchikiboum
- Benoît Blanchard / CITIA
- François Klein / Digital Rise
- Alizé Lecuivre / Gedeon Programmes
- Emanuela Righi / Novaya
- Agata Di Tommaso / Diversion cinema
- Jeremy Sahel / DA PROD
- Victoire Thévenin / Unframed Collection
The delegation will be taking part in Venice Production Bridge (VPB) activities and prospecting and networking with international professionals on site.
