Venice, September 12, 2026. — Extended reality no longer seems interested in proving how much it can impress. The tenth edition of Venice Immersive, held from September 2 to 12 on Isola del Lazzaretto Vecchio, closed with an awards lineup pointing to a deeper transformation: XR is beginning to establish itself as a language of its own, using space, presence and interaction to tell stories that could not be experienced in the same way on a conventional screen.

The immersive section of the Venice International Film Festival brought together 68 projects from 26 countries, including 30 works in competition. Its diversity of formats — virtual reality, mixed reality, installations and interactive experiences — once again made Venice Immersive one of the leading international showcases for understanding where immersive storytelling is heading.

The Pigeon Ring Takes the Top Prize

The Grand Prize went to The Pigeon Ring, directed by Chinese filmmakers Yuqi Zhang and Shixin Tao. The experience uses VR to construct an intimate family story in which space becomes a fundamental part of the narrative.

Doors, windows and different points of observation allow viewers to discover events and relationships depending on where they direct their gaze. Technology, in this case, does not seek to draw attention to itself: it functions as a storytelling tool.

The decision is significant. Venice Immersive’s top award did not go to an experience whose main argument was technological innovation, but to a work demonstrating how the viewer’s presence can change the way a story is told.

Documentary, Memory and the Climate Crisis

The Special Jury Prize went to Out of the Ashes, by Rory Mitchell and Nonny de la Peña, an immersive experience examining the aftermath of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Through testimonies and reconstructions, the work explores the loss of homes, memory and the process of rebuilding affected communities.

Meanwhile, the Achievement Prize recognized Empire at Sea, by Peter Flaherty, a mixed-reality experience imagining a sustainable community built on the ocean following a climate catastrophe.

The three major awards share more than their immersive format: they put technology at the service of storytelling.

From Bowie to the Galápagos: XR Expands Its Reach

The competition was not the only place where this evolution became evident. Bowie: Unseen | Unheard transformed a photographic archive of David Bowie into an immersive experience, while Galapagos: The Last Eden brought audiences into the ecosystem of the Galápagos Islands through immersive imagery and narration by Margot Robbie.

These projects highlight another possibility for the medium: transforming heritage, culture and scientific knowledge into spatial experiences capable of creating a different relationship with audiences.

Is the “Wow Effect” in XR Fading?

Venice Immersive 2026 does not mean that technological innovation has stopped mattering. The shift lies in what that technology is being used for.

For years, many XR experiences were promoted around novelty: stepping into another world, looking around in 360 degrees, interacting with virtual objects or experiencing sensations impossible to reproduce on a conventional screen.

The awards at this tenth edition point toward a new phase. The question is no longer simply “What can we do with XR?”, but rather “What stories can we tell because of XR that we could not tell in any other way?”

If this transition continues, the next revolution in extended reality may not come from a more powerful headset, but from stories capable of making audiences understand that their own presence is also part of the narrative.