Venice Immersive turns ten with Bowie, wildfires and virtual wolves

The Venice Film Festival's extended-reality showcase, Venice Immersive, opened its tenth anniversary edition this week with a programme that pairs an unseen David Bowie documentary with virtual worlds exploring wildfires, wolves and the birth of stars. The selection, reported by the Guardian, includes hundreds of previously unseen images of the late musician in a new 'extended reality' work premiering at the festival.

The anniversary edition signals how far immersive storytelling has travelled since the festival first carved out space for virtual reality alongside its main competition. The Guardian's coverage notes that the programme now treats the medium as a serious narrative form, with installations competing for audiences' attention in Venice's historic setting.