As part of the New Narratives section, six VR experiences are being showcased this year, broadening the horizons of film, visual arts, and theater. These works encourage to not assuming a singular interpretations of reality, inviting us to question established ways of thinking and embrace new perspectives. Each piece challenges us to step outside conventional frameworks and immerse ourselves in alternative worlds, often beyond the boundaries of our comfort zones.
Born in France in 1987, Marion Burger is a production designer for several feature films, including Divines by Houda Benyamina (Caméra d’or 2016), Gagarine by Jérémy Trouilh and Fanny Liatard (Cannes 2020), and more recently, Mother and Son by Léonor Serraille (Cannes 2022). Emperor, based on her personal story, is her directorial debut.
Director.
An artist and director, she believes in social justice and equality and explores how real-time motion capture applications and immersive storytelling can be effectively used in edutainment and artistic practices. Fanni has ten years of experience in projects ranging from art direction to interaction design for clients such as AT&T, Google, WWF, and UNHCR. After earning her degree from the ITP program at New York University in 2019, she focused on immersive technologies. She is also the founder of the Budapest-based digital artists’ collective RUMEXR, where the team uses real-time solutions and immersive design to drive meaningful social and environmental change through their artistic work.
He is an editor and director. He has worked for television and edited feature films, mainly documentaries. He has made three short films, one of which – RED LADY – won the Grand Prix at the Courant 3D Festival in Angoulême, France (2014) and was included on the Blu-ray edition of FRENCH 3D. In 2016, Hermanowicz directed his first 360° film, AFTER THE APOCALYPSE. This project offers an experience of witnessing the reconstruction of Warsaw, entirely devastated after World War II. Hermanowicz specializes in 360° imagery and stereoscopic images. Drawing from his practice, he developed the concept of native storytelling for the immersive paradigm.
DJ, producer, live performer, designer. Organizer of HELLHEAVEN and Shivering events combining sound and visual art. Host of an evening show on Radio Capitał, in which he presents sound and visual techno journeys. In his sets, liveacts and productions, he strives to balance contradictions—silence and noise, synthesis and deconstruction, algorithms and organic elements. He explores sonic spaces, automation, and multi-layered textures to create dense, textured compositions that often evolve toward a brighter sound. In 2022, he co-created the 550km project, during which he walked the entire Polish Baltic Sea coast with photographer Marcin Matuszczak, documenting everything visually and sonically. The project resulted in a book, an upcoming cassette release, and a series of exhibitions and live performances. In September 2024, he made his debut with an
album on the renowned Spanish label Subsist, featuring 10 tracks in the style of ambient and hypnotic techno.
A director, creative technologist, and founder of the immersive studio Novelab, Amaury began his career at Sony and later joined Ubisoft, where he worked on AAA franchises such as Prince of Persia and Far Cry. As a creator, he has won several international awards, including Tribeca Storyscapes, the George Foster Peabody Award, and Europa. Currently, Amaury collaborates with Tiny Planets on producing audiovisual content that promotes new perspectives on reality.
Visual artist, lecturer, graduate of the Wł. Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź and doctoral studies at the L. Schiller PWSFTviT in Łódź.
A cinematographer and director. He graduated from the Łódź Film School with a degree in photography in 2014. He has worked on feature films, documentaries, animations, and television programs. A licensed diver and underwater cinematographer, he is passionate about stop-motion animation. In 2019, he founded BEEFilm, a film studio specializing in cinematography and color grading. He also collaborates with the Visual Narrative Laboratory at the National Film School in Łódź, where he heads the S3D workshop.
A project manager at CinematicVR and a film critic. She has implemented VR/AR solutions for organizations such as Atrium Poland, Wawel Royal Castle, Next Film, Nespresso, Żabka, Warsaw Trams, the Polish Judges Association Iustitia, and the Voivodeship Labour Office in Rzeszów. She has worked as a journalist and copywriter for some of Poland’s largest media outlets, including Polityka, Wysokie Obcasy Extra, Gazeta Wyborcza, as well as Filmweb.pl, Vogue.pl, Onet.pl, and Gazeta.pl. She has also collaborated with HBO Polska, AXN Polska, M2Films, and Kino Świat. In 2023, she was a lecturer at the international XR Winter and Summer School workshops organized by Jagiellonian University, and in 2024, she conducted VR training sessions for the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN). She serves as a mentor in programs supporting women and girls starting their careers in the IT industry, including STEAM Academy and INCO Polska.
A producer and co-founder of KINHOUSE Studio. She is the recipient of the Best Producer Debut Award funded by KIPA for the film Songs About Love directed by Tomasz Habowski. She completed the Creative Development course at the Wajda School and the international EAVE course. She currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Young Producers Section.
A curator and cultural manager with ten years of experience in international collaboration in immersive media. She is the founder (2017) and curator of the Digital Cultures Festival. A promoter and advocate of Polish art, she has contributed to its recognition through collaborations with festivals such as SXSW, MUTEK, Tribeca Film Festival, and Sheffield DocFest. She is affiliated with the Visual Narratives Laboratory, where she is responsible for VR distribution and international relations. She also works as a program advisor for immersive festivals, including IDFA DocLab. In 2024, she founded Monster Mind Studio, which helps artists expand their exhibition opportunities and supports festivals in developing XR section programs. Szylar is also involved in research projects focused on building a VR archive and promoting sustainable digital production.
A Polish artist, filmmaker, and set designer based in Copenhagen. He is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where his diploma film, On High in White Tomorrows, received the Würdigung Award. About a Hero is his feature film debut. His work focuses on the blurring boundaries between reality and fiction.