PiXii Expands at Sunny Side of the Doc 2019

For Sunny Side of the Doc’s 30th edition, the PiXii (Paths of Interaction, Experiences in Immersion & Innovation) program is returning with new digital mediation possibilities to bring content producers, cultural actors and innovative technology companies together.

Fifteen innovative and immersive installations were selected to be presented in the brand-new 900-square-meter space for the PiXii Festival. The winner of the festival competition will be awarded the PiXii Grand Prix worth €5,000 ($5,646). The PiXii Kickstarter, which will feature case studies and pitch sessions, is designed to offer feedback for immersive device projects (audio, video, VR), with the aim of connecting tech project managers, content producers and cultural institutions. Among the case studies will be Nicolas Thépot’s “Claude Monet—The Water Lily Obsession” VR experience, while Olivier Quibel (Serious Frames) will pitch his “Virtual Museum” project.

The program will also feature two conferences that will provide a better understanding of the challenges surrounding new narratives for augmented, immersive and multi-media documentary. Further, the Institut Français and the French cultural network abroad are inviting 15 different international industry professionals to discover French digital mediation and cultural innovation actors over the course of the festival.

Nina Diamond, managing editor and producer in the digital department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and PiXii Festival jury member, said: “Since the earliest storytellers—cave painters and Homer, what we call ‘immersion’ has always been a goal. We all have the same timeless desire to transform the audience into participants, to make them feel and think something new, and change.”

Sunny Side of the Doc will take place June 24 to 27 in La Rochelle, France.