10. VR Storytelling Award
We hereby invite you to our international competition for 360° films. Just as before, the works selected for this special anniversary transcend the boundaries of traditional storytelling and create impressive experimental spaces for visual and auditory experiences that are sure to transport audiences to new worlds.
For the first time, the VR Storytelling Award will take place at display, a new venue for digital arts and media. This location offers an ideal setting for shared immersive experiences and is located only a few minutes away from the festival centre.
At the VR screenings, each visitor will receive their own pair of VR glasses so everyone can experience the films at the same time. Afterwards, the audience will vote for their favorite film; after all, the VR Storytelling Award is decided by you.
DISPLAY – RAUM FÜR DIGITALE PRAXIS, Berliner Straße 60
Exhibition: VR Interactive
In addition to the VR Storytelling Award, display will also be hosting an exhibition with interactive VR projects. The presented works expand the 360° film programme to include even more types of virtual and immersive media. Admission to the exhibition is free.
All Nominees at a glance:
Asteroid
A chaotic and claustrophobic space odyssey unfolds in this VR blockbuster, directed by Doug Liman, who is renowned for his action-packed Hollywood films. When a gold-laden asteroid passes within close distance of Earth, a hastily assembled crew is sent into space to recover the gigantic treasure. But the mission escalates, and only one astronaut returns safely. In this fast-paced VR experience, gold shines brighter than the stars; the gaze into space is defined by greed rather than desire for discovery. Actors such as Ron Perlman (Hellboy) and NFL star D. K. Metcalf round off this extraordinary VR production.
Short film, USA 2025, OV (English), Director: Doug Liman, Length: 12 minutes
Reality looks back
A slow-paced stream of consciousness about observation, possibility, and reality. Captivating pictures create a visual landscape in which places seem to tremble and flicker as if reality itself were in motion. Inspired by the mysteries of quantum mechanics, director Anne Jeppesen contemplates whether reality only comes to be in the moment of looking. A dense soundscape of thoughts, fragments of dialogue and music connects the layers to create a sensory atmosphere in which perception, memory and imagination overlap eachother.
Experimental film, Denmark/USA 2025, OV (English) Director: Anne Jeppesen, Length: 21 minutes
GERMAN PREMIERE
Earths to come
Earths to Come is an experimental VR film that marries pencil-drawn landscapes and multi-layered vocal soundscapes, resulting in a delicate, moving world that seems both intimate and infinite. The starting point is an eight-line poem by Emily Dickinson. Inti Figgis-Vizueta's original composition is unfolded by the voices of the vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth. Sound designer Massimiliano Borghesi, together with Studio PASE, developed a spacial mix of the voices moving within the VR space; thus, drawing and sound fuse into a poetic immersive experience.
Experimental film, USA 2024, OV (English), Director: Rose Bond, Length: 12 minutes
Romancecar
The Odakyu Romance Car line has connected the Japanese capital Tokyo with popular holiday destinations like Hakone since the 1960s. With its large panoramic windows, the train has achieved cult status among train enthusiasts in Japan and beyond. Jonathan Haggard created a poetic tribute for this place of yearning; in hand-drawn 360° panoramas, he traces the changes of the landscapes, the train and the people who ride it over several decades.
This film invites its audience to sit back and immerse itself into the scenes passing by; a detail-oriented and stilistically outstanding VR experience.
Animated film, Japan 2024, OV (Japanese), Director: Jonathan Haggard, Length: 8 minutes
Mit freundlicher Unterstützung von
VR Storytelling Programm 2026
Section
Location
Country
Language
language version
WED, 29. Apr
17:00 h
20:00 h
THU, 30. Apr
17:00 h
20:00 h
FRI, 1. May
14:00 h
17:00 h
20:00 h
SAT, 2. May
10:00 h
Children's programme in display
Section: VR Storytelling
Saturday 2 May 2026, 10:00 h, display
14:00 h
17:00 h
20:00 h
SUN, 3. May
14:00 h
17:00 h
20:00 h