BIENNALE COLLEGE CINEMA – IMMERSIVE
9th edition
Programme Description
The Biennale College Cinema – Immersive (BCC-I) is a programme developed by La Biennale di Venezia to explore immersive media as a new art form.
The approach is to fully explore the aesthetic and narrative opportunities offered by this medium. BCC-I provides filmmakers and creative professionals from a wide range of backgrounds with the skills to develop their next 360° immersive project. With the support of experts and international specialists in the field, BCC-I will help independent filmmakers and creative professionals from all over the world to further appropriate the immersive medium.
Main focus of BCC-I will be on acquiring specific understanding around 360° immersive storytelling, presence design, and creative technology.
BCC-I aims to support the development of 2 Italian projects and 10 international projects presented by teams of director and producer, of up to 30 minutes duration, at concept stage, helping them to advance their projects covering creative, production, audience/market and financial concerns.
As part of the programme we aim to financially support the production of up to 1 immersive project with a grant of € 75,000 to premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in 2025 and to present those projects that have not accessed the grant, at the Venice Production Bridge as part of the Gap Financing Market activities.
The Biennale College Cinema – Immersive programme is realized thanks to the support of Ministero della Cultura.
The immersive experience will be funded by a grant of La Biennale di Venezia.
Description of the Biennale College Cinema – Immersive
The Biennale College Cinema – Immersive is a unique opportunity for creative professionals to receive training, project development, production support and festival presentation through a series of workshops. The Biennale College Cinema – Immersive is a creative community that provides a space during this 9th edition for up to 12 teams (among which two will be Italian), to come together and work with an invited team of international experts and tutors. By exploring the creative language of immersive media participants will get the opportunity to:
- Develop involving stories and projects utilising 360° immersive technologies.
- Acquire the technical know-how required to produce immersive projects from planning and production through to completion.
- Establish networking and knowledge sharing between experts and fellow participants and explore the international market for immersive media.
Selected project teams have to commit to this programme: fulfil the requirements of La Biennale and meet the required deadlines; contribute their experience and ideas to the community of creatives attending the college; and provide materials and information for further dissemination to a wider audience through use of the Biennale College Cinema website.
Biennale College Cinema – Immersive
During the 81st Venice International Film Festival an International Call will be launched to select 12 immersive international projects, among these 2 Italian, presented by teams of director and producer, coming from all over the world.
Biennale College Cinema – Immersive will organize an international workshop, taking place in January 2025 (11th – 17th; arrival day: January 10th – departure day: January 18th).
During the first workshop the project teams work with a dedicated group of tutors including story developers, producers, creative technologists and visual advisors, to fully develop their projects from all perspectives.
The International workshop includes a pitch-training module to equip the producers and directors with the knowledge of how to introduce their projects to potential partners.
Project teams get the opportunity to practice these skills in preparation for the final presentation of all the projects on the last day of the workshop to La Biennale.
After the international workshop all 12 teams have to work on their projects and deliver updated materials by 31st January 2025. On receipt of these materials the Venice International Film Festival Director will select up to 3 immersive projects to attend the second international development workshop. The Director’s decision will be announced by the end of February 2025.
The selected teams will be invited to a second workshop to be held from 11th to 14th March 2025 (arrival day: March 10th, departure day: March 15th). The aim of this workshop is to focus on the production of the selected projects.
Each project team will be able to draw from a range of professionals to work on all aspects of the project in preparation for the production in the coming months.
Out of the 3 projects, the Festival Director will select up to 1 team to receive a grant of € 75,000 and between March and mid-August, over a five-month period, the team will proceed to produce and complete its project. At this time the team will sign the final contract with the Biennale and the schedule of payments will be agreed.
The team will be expected to deliver updated documents and actualized budgets, and schedule breakdowns to release payments. They will also be required to provide reports on their progress and on possible sponsor/supporter with the Biennale College Cinema – Immersive leaders.
The selected immersive project must be submitted in early August 2025 in order to be presented at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in 2025.
All the teams participating in the workshop in January and March and not supported by the grant, will be invited to attend the Venice Production Bridge in September 2025. This event in Venice is designed to showcase the projects and participants and provides an opportunity to find partners, potential commissions and generate debate around the impact of immersive media on the market and the changing professional practices and business models.
For further information we invite you to visit the page FAQ – Immersive
For further questions, please write an email to: college-cinema@labiennale.org
La Biennale di Venezia reserves the right in any case to modify, cancel or interrupt the initiative described above, in that the announcement or the selection do not constitute a binding contract for the same, nor do they entail the right to the reimbursement of any expense other than those specified above.
Dates, Venues and Timeline:
2 September 2024– Launch of the Call, Biennale College Cinema – Immersive 9
6 November 2024 (23:59 CET) – Deadline Call BCC – I 9
By mid-December 2024– result of the selection will be notified to the BCC – I 9 applicants.
11-17 January 2025 – First International Workshop (Venice, travel days 10th – 18th)
Following the first workshop:
31 January 2025 – deadline to deliver updated materials BCC I 9
End of February 2025 – results of the selection will be notified to the participants
11 – 14 March 2025 - Second International Workshop (Venice, travel days: 10th – 15th).
Early August 2025 – deadline to deliver the completed immersive experience at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.
September 2025 – attendance of international project teams at the Venice Production Bridge, 82nd Venice International Film Festival.