Venice Immersive marks a decade with 68 projects from 26 countries

The Venice Film Festival's immersive-media programme will present 30 projects in competition and 35 out of competition from September 2 to 12, according to reporting from The Lagos Review and Deadline. The tenth-anniversary edition includes a documentary about David Bowie and works from international creators working across virtual reality, augmented reality and other spatial media. The programme runs in parallel with the main Venice Film Festival, which takes place on the Lido.

Venice Immersive has grown since its founding to become a significant venue for experimental and emerging forms of cinema and digital storytelling. The section attracts creators and audiences interested in exploring narrative and experience beyond traditional film formats. The 2026 lineup reflects the programme's commitment to international collaboration, drawing submissions from across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa.

The immersive section has become a fixture of the Venice calendar, offering filmmakers and artists a platform to present work that blurs the boundary between cinema, installation and interactive experience. The presence of established actors and musicians lending their voices to projects signals the growing mainstream attention to immersive storytelling as a serious artistic medium. The Bowie documentary, in particular, may draw audiences familiar with the musician's long engagement with visual experimentation and multimedia performance.

For the Cultura bureau, Venice Immersive represents an evolution in how international cinema festivals are programming work beyond traditional narrative film. The growth of the immersive section reflects a broader shift in how the world's cultural institutions are engaging with digital and spatial media as legitimate forms of artistic expression. The festival's willingness to dedicate significant programming space and resources to experimental formats underscores the role Italian cultural institutions play in legitimising emerging art forms on the global stage.