Immersive Competition

Source: Cannes Film Festival

Immersive Competition

The Cannes Film Festival has launched a new immersive works competition strand for its 77th edition (May 14-25).

Eight projects that utilise virtual reality, augmented reality and other new technologies will compete for the inaugural best immersive work prize chosen by an international jury.

France’s CNC is supporting the strand and the works will be displayed during the festival at the Cannes Cineum and the Georges Méliès Campus. A collection of non-competitive immersive films will also be selected.

The city of Cannes has also announced the Cannes Immersive initiative which “aims to position Cannes as a global hub for immersive creations and the emerging artistic domain of artificial intelligence (AI)”. The programme includes a series of events and will establish a permanent venue in Cannes for immersive work.

Cannes first screened an immersive work in 2017 with Alejandro González Iñárritu’s virtual reality piece Virtually Present, Physically Invisible. That same year Venice launched an immersive strand VR expanded, now known as Venice Immersive.

The main Cannes official selection will be unveiled on Thursday (April 11).