Venice Immersive 2025: Top 7 Must-See Projects
▼ Summary
– Venice Immersive is the XR segment of the Venice International Film Festival, running from August 27 to September 6, featuring nearly 70 projects from 27 countries.
– Thirty of the XR projects are in competition for three awards, while 34 are out of competition and 23 are showcased in the Best of Worlds category from VRChat.
– The event includes a diverse range of immersive experiences, such as Alien Perspective, which transforms an artwork into a living environment through Carlo Rambaldi’s work.
– Several highlighted projects include Asteroid, a 180° action thriller directed by Doug Liman, and Black Cats & Chequered Flags, an interactive VR/MR tribute to F1 champion Alberto Ascari.
– Other notable entries explore themes like mythic creation, surreal perspective-swapping, Singaporean diaspora, and subconscious journeys through various immersive technologies.
The Venice Immersive 2025 event returns next week, showcasing nearly 70 groundbreaking XR projects from creators around the world. As the dedicated extended reality segment of the Venice International Film Festival, this year’s edition runs from August 27 to September 6, featuring an impressive lineup of works from 27 different countries. Among the presentations, 30 projects will compete for three major awards, while 34 appear out of competition. An additional 23 experiences created in VRChat will be highlighted in the Best of Worlds category.
Our team will be on the ground covering the festival, providing comprehensive reports, breaking news, and detailed hands-on impressions throughout the event. For those eager to explore the full program, complete details are available online.
In the meantime, here are seven standout XR experiences we’re most excited to see, presented in alphabetical order.
Alien Perspective This immersive journey delves into previously unseen works by the legendary Italian special effects master Carlo Rambaldi. Co-produced by his granddaughter Cristina Rambaldi and director Jung Ah Suh, the experience transforms the painting Città Spaziale 2 into a fully interactive environment, inviting participants to step inside a living work of art.
Asteroid Directed by Doug Liman, known for The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, this original 180° short film is being developed for Google’s Android XR platform. The story plunges viewers into a high-stakes thriller where a group of strangers pilot an old Russian Soyuz rocket to mine a near-Earth asteroid. The narrative pulls you in when you receive a desperate SOS from NFL star DK Metcalf, playing himself, stranded and left for dead.
Black Cats & Chequered Flags An interactive VR and MR tribute to one of Formula 1’s earliest champions, Alberto Ascari, this experience by Elisabetta Rotolo and Siobhan McDonnell explores his back-to-back championship wins with Ferrari in 1952 and 1953. The project delves into his relationship with his father, superstitious nature, and remarkable rise to fame, offering a rich narrative layered with historical depth.
Creation of the Worlds Inspired by the works of Lithuanian artist M.K. Čiurlionis, this poetic exploration by co-directors Kristina Buožytė and Vitalijus Žukas allows participants to become caretakers of his art across evolving worlds. Drawing from over 60 paintings, the experience reimagines mythological creation through a contemporary, immersive lens.
Face Jumping From Tender Claws, the studio behind Virtual Virtual Reality and Stranger Things VR, comes this surreal short VR experience. Participants leap between the minds of humans, animals, and even objects using eye-tracking technology activated by meeting another’s gaze. The project aims to explore themes of rebirth and evolution through perspective-swapping gameplay.
Reflections of Little Red Dot Chloé Lee’s mixed reality piece examines time, memory, and diaspora in Singapore through intimate conversations and personal narratives. Using archival footage within a 3D environment, the work reflects on how rapid urban development has reshaped communities and individual identities.
Sense of Nowhere Created by Hsin-Hsuan Yeh, this interactive journey draws from Taoism, Buddhist illusion, and Jung’s Active Imagination practice. It poses the question, “Where do we go when we zone out?”, inviting audiences to explore their subconscious as the boundaries between inner thought and external reality begin to dissolve.
(Source: UploadVR)
