Doug Liman’s ‘Asteroid’, Edward Berger’s ‘Submerged’ among Venice Immersive 2025 selection
After its Venice world premiere, Asteroid will launch on Google’s XR app later this year. It is produced by 30 Ninjas Production, in association with Google initiative 100 Zeros, run in partnership with A Complete Unknown producers Range Media Partners. Creators are Liman, Julina Tatlock and Jed Weintrob, and producers are Weintrob, Tatlock, Marty Schulman, Neil Parris and Jon Zepp.
Doug Liman’s Asteroid and Edward Berger’s Submerged are among 69 projects selected for Venice Immersive, the extended reality section of Venice International Film Festival (August 27-September 6).
XR (extended reality) thriller Asteroid is a 30-minute-long immersive short following a group of strangers who take an old rocket to mine a near-earth asteroid for a chance at substantial wealth.
After its Venice world premiere, Asteroid will launch on Google’s XR app later this year. It is produced by 30 Ninjas Production, in association with Google initiative 100 Zeros, run in partnership with A Complete Unknown producers Range Media Partners. Creators are Liman, Julina Tatlock and Jed Weintrob, and producers are Weintrob, Tatlock, Marty Schulman, Neil Parris and Jon Zepp.
It is one of 30 projects in the immersive competition, of which 21 are world premieres and nine are international premieres. Other competition titles include Leo Metcalf and Michael Golembewski’s 15-minute virtual reality work The Time Before from the UK, about a boy who delves into the fantastical dream worlds created by his sister to shield them from family strife.
Berger’s Submerged – the first scripted film captured in Apple Immersive Video – is in the Best of Experiences section as one of 34 Out of Competition projects. The 17-minute immersive film is set about a Second World War submarine, where the crew must combat a harrowing torpedo attack.
It is one of two Apple projects in the Best of Experiences selection, alongside Charlotte Mikkelborg’s 15-minute immersive film Adventure: Ice Dive.
The section also features four UK works: Fireproof Games’ single-player puzzle game Ghost Town; Wayne McGregor’s 50-minute mixed reality installation On The Other Earth; Sister Sylvester and Nadah El Shazly’s 55-minute immersive installation Constantiopoliad; and Navid Khonsari and Vassiliki Khonsari’s 30-minute immersive installation Lili.
Five of the 69 projects have been developed during the Biennale College Cinema – Immersive training programme.
The full selection of projects is available on the Venice Film Festival website. A three person jury of writer-director Eliza McNitt, director Gwanael Francois and filmmaker Boris Labbe will select the three winners from the competition strand.
All immersive projects are showcased on Lazzaretto Vecchio, a small island situated three minutes by boat from the main Lido.
Named the Venice Immersive Island for the festival, it is also home to the Venice Immersive Market, running from August 28-September 3, which will include presentation of immersive projects from the Venice Gap-Financing Market and Biennale College Cinema Immersive; panels and networking events for immersive topics; and an exhibition area of institutions, funds, producers, distributors, sales companies, and manufacturers of immersive work.
