Venice Immersive 2025

Venice Immersive 2025 is Open!

From the Lido to the other side of the pond, you can feel it: XR has reached critical mass as Venice Immersive 2025 officially opens at Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia.

And this year, it’s clear: the art is now standing on the shoulders of (tech) giants.

A big part of why the art is taking center stage is the steady hand of curators Liz Rosenthal and Michel Reilhac who have helped Venice Immersive grow from a VR annex into a fully realized showcase with its own gravity.

A Tale of the Tech Giants

Apple — The Prestige Theatre Submerged is an Immersive Film (note the unique terminology) on Vision Pro earlier this year so it is classified as an "Out of Competition" presentation. But Apple’s choice to bring Oscar-winning director Edward Berger back to Venice is symbolic. It signals that immersive deserves auteur-level attention, and that Apple and its Vision Pro wants to be the advocate.

Google — Building the Infrastructure Most people haven’t heard of Google’s “100 Zeroes” initiative which made news earlier this summer. It’s not a traditional studio—it’s a content incubator inside Google’s Platforms & Devices division, launched in partnership with Hollywood's notable Range Media Partners. The goal is to seed the industry with XR projects that showcase Android XR and AI.

At Venice, that strategy comes to life in Asteroid, Doug Liman’s high-concept XR thriller. A bold narrative play—and a demonstration of Google’s tools in action.

Samsung? And here’s the twist: reports suggest Asteroid is being demoed on Samsung’s unreleased Project Moohan—the a highly anticipated headset. Venice isn’t just a showcase. It’s a debut stage.

Artists at the Center, Tech in Service.

This is where the medium shines.

• Eliza McNitt is serving as President of this year’s Venice Immersive Jury and she is no stranger to the Lido. In addition to her role as President, mention must be made to ANCESTRA, executive produced by Darren Aronofsky (Primordial Soup) in collaboration with Google DeepMind and Veo 3, a short blending live-action and generative video into a moving story of birth and transformation. It premiered at Tribeca, but its DNA feels inseparable from what Venice has always championed.

• D-Day: The Camera Soldier (Chloé Rochereuil, TARGO with TIME Studios, Victor Agulhon): a powerful immersive documentary that puts you inside the story of a WWII combat cameraman on June 6, 1944—merging archival footage with spatial storytelling.

• L’Ombre (Blanca Li): MR and live dance in haunting installation.

• Face Jumping (Danny Cannizzaro, Samantha Gorman,Tender Claws): eye-tracking that shifts narrative through eye contact.

• Creation of the Worlds (Kristina Buozyte) a VR journey through 60+ Čiurlionis paintings.

• Eddie and I: sign language taught through hand-tracking in a forest monster’s arms.

• Black Cats & Chequered Flags: F1 legend Alberto Ascari reimagined as multiplayer MR.

• The poetic gems: The Great Escape (three geraniums plotting liberation) and If You See a Cat (Atsushi Wada).

The Panel to Watch: "Hollywood's Current Debate: Generative AI at the Edge of Imagination"

One of the most buzzworthy conversations of the festival.

• Moderator: Joanna Popper (Founder, Laurel Beach, SatireAI)

• Speakers: Paul Trillo (Moonvalley + Asteria), Sam Pressman (Pressman Film), Edward Saatchi (Fable Simulation, Showrunner), Christina Lee Storm (Playbook PLBK / Television Academy)

• Hosted by: Moonvalley + Asteria Film Co

This isn’t just a panel. It’s a conversation at the heart of the entire festival -- and industry. With the blistering pace to the release of GenAI tools, features, and more, Moonvalley’s session becomes the front row seat to see the conversation play out in real time.