A fascinating film, with depth and quirk, that sneaks up on you

In Issue No. 10, Ian F. Blair examines Black films from the 1990s and 2000s — from "Boomerang" to "Love & Basketball" — that represented a golden age of Black upward-mobility cinema and projected fantasies of racial representation. hammerandhope.org/article/boom...

Need to up your LinkedIn game? Now you can easily translate your normal human speak into generic obtuse self-aggrandizing "story-telling" Try it for yourself! translate.kagi.com

NEW! Lincoln Center as an Open-Air Immersive Lab: Jordana Leigh’s Method for Bringing XR Into the Season https://xrmust.com/xrmagazine/lincoln-center-jordana-leighs/

"Intl success/packed festival screenings prove Georgian auteur cinema matches the country’s culturally dense & politically charged environment, yet there's a paradox: despite headlines & countless awards abroad, films remain relatively unseen in their country of origin." oc-media.org/georgias-cin...

Bell Labs- the OG "creative technologists". My dad worked there, and visiting the building you just felt there were important things going on there. And their investment in creativity, thinking and collaboration had a huge inspiration on me as a kid. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

"We believe in the technology, we believe in VR storytelling, even the artistic, experimental stuff." It's not easy to watch good VR in Istanbul, but VR Futures is intent on changing that, with its Müzeverse and beyond... For @xrmust.bsky.social : xrmust.com/xrmagazine/f...

RIP. And wow, the radical solidarity of Sesame Street. What power the media could have for good. This piece probably could not be made today.

I experienced Isobel & Van's moving and beautifully crafted piece at @iffr-festival.bsky.social's Art Directions, and it was a testament to how XR can bring vast issues like climate change to touch you through capturing small moments grounded in human experience.

Benito is a threat b/c he makes art so alluring and enjoyable you want to understand everything about it and then you end up learning about sugar and slavery and colonialism and the Taínos and Hawaii and then you probably have some thoughts of your own, and that's why art is powerful and dangerous

The bad news is that biz for #documentaries is not so good. The good news is that theatrical might now be the best option, which could be a boon for audience experience! @antkaufman.bsky.social's update from Sundance for @documentary.org documentary.org/online-featu...

CPH:Dox's interactive programme is out! Excited to see some powerful works on the list and to explore new perpectives on our cultural and psychological state of hypervigilance. As always, a thought-provoking curation from Mark Atkin. cphdox.dk/interactive-...

We've seen how the camera is a threat to those in power. Citizen journalism is stepping in where the media agencies are failing us. How to be safe, and how your images can be an effective tool... www.wired.com/story/how-to...

It's so great to have this research space for thinking about the art, power and future of documentary film, and how to make the field work best for makers and audiences alike shorensteincenter.org/article/anno... @shorensteinctr.bsky.social

"the system persists...not through violence alone, but through the participation of ordinary people in rituals they privately know to be false."

Is a dome just a big 1/2 headset? What does it take to transform a #VR-headset artwork into a dome piece? Took a fascinating dive into the process from headset-> planetarium for Claudix Vanesix/amixr's piece [email protected] xrmust.com/xrmagazine/c... @xrmust.bsky.social @wemakevr.bsky.social

Apply the 2026 Unity for Humanity Grant! If you’re building an interactive game or #XR experience that drives positive social impact, apply for up to $100,000 in funding, plus marketing resources and technical support. Applications close February 20. Bring your vision to life: unity.com/humanity

The irony, eh?

Columbia Digital Storytelling Lab's annual "#Immersive things" list reflects the diversity of how stories are being made, experienced, and shared today. www.dsl.tools/m/2025list @culturehacker.bsky.social

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...