There were a lot of really special immersive artworks and experiences this year - don't forget to vote for your favorites in several categories of craft and overall best #XR for 2025!

Editorial⎜IDFA @doclab.bsky.social 2025: OF(F) the Internet, by @cirilism.bsky.social #IDFA2025 #IDFADocLab https://xrmust.com/xrmagazine/editorial-idfa-doclab-2025/

IDFA is one of my favorite fests, & the lovely, relevant & inspiring DocLab- w/ its thought-provoking work, people & conversations & playful & hospitable spirit grounded in an investment in building the immersive ecosystem - is a big part. My wrap up: xrmust.com/xrmagazine/e... @xrmust.bsky.social

“People who actually tell stories, meaning people who write novels & make feature films, don’t see themselves as storytellers. It’s all the people who are not storytellers who…suddenly now want to be storytellers.” It's PR wrapped up as a 'story'. Someone please save us. www.wsj.com/articles/com...

“the deeper damage is a fog of doubt settling over everything we see” @samgregory.bsky.social urges us to consider that soon our shared basis of reality will no longer be trustworthy and risks being undermined by generative video... and offers how to fight that. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOBA...

Always great to speak to artists working in VR for the first time and how they choose to use it...

This whole thread 🧵, with its exploration of Mamdani = Sesame Street character

"We come together, but we arrive at similar intersections from different roads." Talked to Dana Melaver & Weronika Lewandowska, curators of the intertwined DOK Neuland XR & DOX Exchange XR programmes at DOKLeipzig. xrmust.com/xrmagazine/d...

NEW INTERVIEW! “If you want to create empathy, it doesn’t matter what kind of medium, there’s craft in telling the story” – Steye Hellema (ANCESTORS), by @cirilism.bsky.social https://xrmust.com/xrmagazine/steye-hellema-ancestors/

SmartPhone Orchestra's Ancestors is a unique & moving participatory experience, and it was lovely to chat with director Steye Hellema about the process and, what he calls, "cute activism". For @xrmust.bsky.social #immersive #climatechange #veniceimmersive #technology #XR xrmust.com/xrmagazine/s...

"It wasn’t our place to tell their story. It was our place to facilitate a way to tell *their* story." Spoke to Mads Damsbo about the co-creation of Dark Rooms & always experimenting w/ emerging technologies to tell stories For @xrmust.bsky.social xrmust.com/xrmagazine/m... #documentary #immersive

A moment away from film talk for my favorite simit firin in istanbul ❤️ www.ft.com/content/d413...

So excited for our Sonic Privilege film programme this weekend at Arter Museum! These 5 docs—32 Sounds, Diary of Sky, Nocturnes, Preemptive Listening &Intercepted—are “looking through sound” & invite the sonically curious not only to hear, but also to listen. More: www.arter.org.tr/EN/events/so...

"permissionless installations made possible by augmented reality”... "This is an artist-led act of reclamation.” #AR has the power to reimagine art spaces to reflect hidden and biased histories, presentations and values. A new form of #culturalheritage hyperallergic.com/1049466/indi...

NEW INTERVIEW! “it was all about creating and maintaining a trust and a transparency in the process between the participants and the creators” – Mads Damsbo (DARK ROOMS) by @cirilism.bsky.social  https://xrmust.com/xrmagazine/mads-damsbo-dark-rooms/

“How can we take these collaborative, spontaneous, anonymous, witty, performative qualities expressed organically during the protests and apply them in an artistic setting to re-create this interconnectedness amid a heavily censored environment?” —artist and academic Işıl Eğrikavuk

"People say you should make films in the places where you belong. But where do I even belong? I only start to feel at home somewhere once I start making a film about that place." Gianfranco Rossi on place-making in his #documentary, & more via @documentary.org www.documentary.org/online-featu...

If you want a list of some of the best #immersive artworks/experiences, here's a great list to start with. The new Annwyn Prize celebrates immersive work from around the globe. annwnprize.com

Editorial⎜Is getting stood up in the virtual world better or worse than in real life? By Karen Cirillo #Venizia82 https://xrmust.com/xrmagazine/editorial-virtual-world-connections/

A new cohort of fellows at @opendoclab.bsky.social ! opendoclab.mit.edu/introducing-...

Amazing opporunity: Perspective Fund's new Envision Lab wants to grow cross-sector learning, innovative experimentation & the strategic scaling of effective practices across the #documentary #impact ecosystem. If you have a project that will empower audiences, apply: www.perspectivefund.org/lab

A panel at last month's Dokufest raised this epic question: "What does it mean to watch?" I unpacked some of the ideas for @moderntimesreview.bsky.social www.moderntimes.review/what-does-it...

At Dokufest, a panel discussion posed this epic question: What does it mean to watch? @cirilism.bsky.social breaks down the conversation.

Inspiring to dive into the cosmos of ONASSIS FOUNDATION & its work at the intersection of art/tech in Athens/NY, including Onassis ONX. Their work puts artists at the centre, giving them resources & expanding exhibition possibilities through their network of partners. xrmust.com/xrmagazine/o...

Artist Alaa Minawi's work bridges installation & performance, engaging the audience in an immersive way. I talked to him about The Liminal, which recieved an award at IDFA's @doclab.bsky.social in its wip form, and his #arabfuturism series, for @documentary.org www.documentary.org/online-featu...

Congratulations to all the projects up for some attention at Venice later this summer!

#Tribeca2025's Immersive programme, in collaboration w/ Onassis ONX & @weareagog.bsky.social, goes "In search of us" through multi-modal & multi-angle approaches. I had the pleasure of talking to @kayseabee.bsky.social & Jazia Hammoudi for @xrmust.bsky.social: xrmust.com/xrmagazine/p...

Why would anyone want to be in a documentary? @tomwhiteeditor.bsky.social summarizes a new ITVS study addressing ethics & accountability of the #documentary practice, specifically dynamics between filmmakers & on-camera participants. current.org/2025/05/itvs...

Are you a graphic designer based in Istanbul? UNDP's Istanbul Regional Hub is looking for a Turkish national to join our communications crew and help make our work shine brighter... (although full disclosure-not sure it will be "life-changing"⬇️😉) estm.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

The water footprint of data centers is immense. I love that while AI companies are "trying new solutions" to lessen water stress, they have also introduced automatic/ unnecessary itools like Copilot/Google AI summary search that are used even if you didn't use them. www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

The UN called for contributions on #AI & creativity. WITNESS, the Co-Creation Studio at MIT & the Archival Producers Alliance outlined seven principles to keep in mind. via @documentary.org documentary.org/column/synth...

SOUND exhibitions ❤️

Emerging from an already fantastic Agora programme that strikes the perfect balance of "important people" & welcoming accessibility, Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival's small but rewarding Agora XR lab is a great new addition. My piece for @xrmust.bsky.social xrmust.com/xrmagazine/t...

"In this unregulated & dysregulated landscape, what are the immediate/new concerns of #AI shaping the future of documentary filmmaking in 2025?" @katcizek.bsky.social and shirin anlen unpack for their latest on intersections of synthetic & non-fiction media: www.documentary.org/column/synth...

when it comes to doctoring photos, #AI is just the kid in town "turns out people have been doctoring photos, manipulating and meddling, from the start" www.theguardian.com/artanddesign... thanks @bradleysecker.bsky.social

Correction: Adrien Cornelissen looks at the tools, alternatives in Europe and the landscape of change for @xrmust.bsky.social !

Is the #XR industry's dependence on big tech - namely products and services from American companies - problematic? Mathieu Gayet looks at the tools, alternatives in Europe and the landscape of change for @xrmust.bsky.social xrmust.com/xrmagazine/g...

Happy International Roma Day! 7 years ago, we made "I am Fatmira", a 360 film w/ #Roma activist Fatmira Daljani about her community. The co-created film took us into her world through her eyes, not those of outsiders who often stereotype Roma people. (1/3) youtu.be/K1vrq83UTmM?... #XR

The state of the world is such that when I read news/commentary on my feed, sometimes it's eerily not clear which of my homes it's referring to.

I'm thrilled (and shocked) at this win, what a powerful film and thank you to the doc film community/academy for making it happen. You can watch it here: releasing.dogwoof.com/no-other-land, thank you @dogwoofdocs.bsky.social

maybe this will replace a "karen" for a while

There have been so many conversations around forging a new supportive & equitable film landscape - collectively... Join the Future Film Coalition's town hall Thursday to hear more & share feedback: www.futurefilmcoalition.org/p/youre-invi... We need this now more than ever.

Thessaloniki docfest's #immersive programme is out - and I'm excited to be on the jury to take them all in! #TiDF27 www.filmfestival.gr/en/all-news-...

Lisa Jackson is a documentarian working across different genres, whose dome-artwork Wilfred Buck's Star Stories just premiered @ Berlinale I spoke w/ Lisa about multi-format work, reciprocity & using tech in the context of sharing Indigenous knowledge www.documentary.org/online-featu...

The media/culture landscape is already changing; now more than ever we need strong civil society, independent voices & risk-taking funders. The existence of multiple narratives, even (and especially) around "celebrating the nation’s rich heritage" is crucial www.documentary.org/online-featu...

Humanitarian "reform" convo has been happening a while, but good thoughts here from @tammam.bsky.social I would also argue these thoughts can be inspiration for other sectors, especially film/arts that often link funding to western style/topic expectations www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2025...

Starts as a commentary on streamers & big-budget glossy docs and ends with the fearful question: where will critical social films find space/funding? It's all related... variety.com/2025/film/ne...

Sound used to be overlooked in production for XR projects, but makers are realizing how important (& creative) it can be for immersive experiences. My conversation w/ curator @wernika.bsky.social & a review of DOKLeipzig's DOK Exchange XR spatial audio themed conference xrmust.com/xrmagazine/i...