The Future of Live Music: Immersive and Interactive

Eric Krueger

Head of Platform and Developer Strategy

Eric J. Krueger is the Head of Platform and Developer Strategy for the Reality Labs Entertainment Team at Meta and a member of the Emmy Emerging Media Programming Peer Group and the PGA Production Innovation Task Force. He specializes in the development of new formats for XR content. Eric collaborates with top brands, developers, and production companies worldwide to deliver best-in-class metaverse content. His expertise allowed him to speak at the SXSW, Tribeca Film Festival, NAB Tech Talks, Immersive Tech Week, and the Voices of VR Podcast. With a background in live theatre, Eric is passionate about redefining the limits of presence and engagement in entertainment.

Solomon Rogers

Global Director of Innovation

Sol is the Global Director of Innovation at Magnopus, a pioneering company that creates extraordinary experiences and technology that bridges the physical and digital worlds. Recently deployed to re-imaging 'The Wizard of Oz' for The Sphere in Las Vegas, challenged to bring 'Daft Punk' to Fortnite and defined a whole new paradigm in film making through the development of virtual production for 'Disney’s The Lion King'.

A sought-after keynote speaker and trusted advisor, Sol was awarded his PHD in 2025 for his impact to the 'Emerging Creative Technology' industries and exuberantly works with startups, nonprofits, and governments to shape the future. He proudly serves as Chairman of BAFTA’s Immersive Entertainment Advisory Group, an OECD Global Technology Advisor, and Chairman of Immerse UK, the UK government’s nationwide network for immersive industries.

Before Magnopus he was the Founder of REWIND, a spatial technology company that gained global recognition as a pioneer in the VR and AR space which he built and sold over 10 years. If you ask him about his most rewarding job though he would probably say that a decade as a University Professor in Video Games, Visual Effects, and Emerging Technology, where he taught 1000's of students and developed cutting-edge degree programmes, supervised PhD research, and helped shape the next generation of creative technologists.

For Sol, time is life’s most valuable currency. True success is about mastering it — choosing how to spend it, who to spend it with, and what to create with it. That’s why, above all else, he cherishes his greatest achievement: his wild, identical twin boys.

Adam Arrigo

CEO and Co-Founder

Adam Arrigo is the co-founder and CEO of Wave, a virtual entertainment company creating interactive concerts where artists perform as digital avatars in dynamic, real-time worlds. A former game designer and musician, he worked at Harmonix on titles like Rock Band and Dance Central. At Wave, Adam blends music, gaming, and technology to reinvent how fans connect with live performances.

Heather Fuller

Service Partner Program Manager

Heather Fuller is Service Partner Program Manager at Epic Games, where she develops and manages strategic programs that connect creators, studios, and technology partners with Unreal Engine. With a background in partner success and ecosystem growth, Heather helps empower teams across industries to harness real-time tools for storytelling, design, and live entertainment. She brings a unique perspective on collaboration and innovation within creative technology.

Capitol Ballroom E

Global Stage @ Downright Austin Backyard

Tour Support 2.0: How Mental Health is Reshaping Live Music

From Streams to Strategy: The Label Services Evolution

Rock’s Biggest Promoter on the Future of Festivals

Music Nostalgia: The Secret Weapon in Modern Advertising

The future of live music is interactive, immersive, and powered by real-time technology. This panel explores how concerts are evolving across physical and digital spaces through XR platforms, Unreal Engine, virtual performance, and production design.

Leaders from Meta, Magnopus, Epic Games, and Wave will share how they are transforming concerts into multi-sensory experiences, blending creativity and technology to shape the next generation of live performance.

FUTURE OF LIVE MUSIC: IMMERSIVE AND INTERACTIVE


In Uncertainty We Trust: The New Rules of Leadership

Anu Mandapati

Chief People Officer

Anu Mandapati is a Chief Culture & Talent Officer and certified executive, team, and well-being coach (PCC, CTPC, NBC-HWC) who helps leaders and organizations thrive through high-stakes transitions—including M&A, rapid growth, leadership shifts, and cultural misalignment. With 20+ years’ experience across industries and organizations like PwC, FEMA, Rocket Mortgage, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, she aligns culture with business strategy to build trust, clarity, and sustained performance. Named a Top 100 People (HR) Leader, Culture Pioneer, and Visionary in Inclusive Talent Leadership, Anu’s work has appeared in Forbes, Fast Company, Fortune, and Success magazine. She teaches at Harvard’s I/O Psychology program and is a contributing author to The Female CEO and A View from the Top.

Rio Grande Ballroom 2

Pitching to Angels 101: Think Like an Investor

Play to Build: Prosocial AI for Human Connection

Brand Strategy Workshop for Emerging Tech Companies

Own Your Sh*t (and Your IP): The Creator CEO Playbook

Prompt to Publish - AI Tools for the Modern Content Creator

When disruption hits, from AI to remote work, leaders face make-or-break moments. Control is out; trust is in. In this interactive workshop, you’ll discover the new rules for navigating change without losing your people. You’ll gain actionable tools and a proven playbook to steady teams, spark innovation, and keep your best people engaged—even when the future is uncertain. Real-world case studies and peer learning will help you transform uncertainty from a risk into your leadership superpower. Walk away ready to anchor your team, accelerate trust, and lead boldly through whatever comes next.

IN UNCERTAINTY WE TRUST: THE NEW RULES OF LEADERSHIP

Workplace track sponsored by University of Cincinnati


You Are the Visionary: How to Stay Authentic While Using AI

Mandy Kahn

Poet

Mandy Kahn is the author of three poetry collections. Her work has been included in the Best American Poetry anthology, and she’s given poetry readings at the Getty Museum, MOCA, and Cambridge University. She’s been interviewed on BBC Radio and has been profiled in the magazines Flaunt, Issue and Malibu. In addition to writing books, she makes performance-based works that combine poetry with musical technique; those works are the subject of the feature-length documentary Peace Piece: The Immersive Poems of Mandy Kahn.

Kahn has long worked at the intersection of poetry and technology. In 2018, she wrote a script-in-verse for a VR film being developed by Annapurna Pictures and Oculus Story Studio’s co-founder, Saschka Unseld. She last appeared at SXSW Interactive as a speaker in 2014.

Guadalupe

What We’re Unlearning on Supporting Education Systems

Shaping Education in a Culture x Tech World

Independent Film Publicity: How to Earn Media Attention

If an artwork is to be ours, it must be a product of our own vision. AI assistants are readily available. But how do we make sure we never give away so much to a virtual assistant that nothing we create feels like it is authentically ours anymore? How can we keep the joy, the purpose, and the power of our making while engaging AI to support the project of our work coming into being? This workshop will offer a series of core principles, plus meditation and journaling practices, designed to help participants intuit which parts of their project to do themselves and which to outsource.

YOU ARE THE VISIONARY: HOW TO STAY AUTHENTIC WHILE USING AI


Beyond Branding: Advertising as Infrastructure for Change

Gareth Goodall

Chief Strategy Officer

Gareth is the Global Chief Strategy Officer for Leo, and also serves as Chief Strategy Officer for Publicis Groupe’s creative agencies in the US. He has been named North American Creative Strategist of the Year by Ad Age, listed among the 100 most influential people in the British creative industries by The Independent, and recognized by Campaign as both a Face to Watch and one of London’s 10 Best Planners.

His work has been won top honors across every major strategic discipline, including multiple Gold awards, Best New Brand Building, and Most Progressive Thinking at the APG; Gold awards for Media Strategy and Creative Strategy at the Effies; and multiple Gold awards for Innovation, Communications Strategy, and Creative Strategy at the Jay Chiat Awards. Gareth has also served as Chair of Judges for both the APG and the Jay Chiat Awards.

Prior to joining Publicis Groupe, Gareth spent nine years as Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Anomaly New York, during which time the agency was named Ad Age Agency of the Year. Before that, he was Chief Strategy Officer and Joint Managing Director of Fallon London. While at Fallon, the agency was named Campaign Agency of the Year twice. Outside of work, Gareth is a writer and winner of the Canongate Prize, the UK’s largest award for new short fiction.

Marco Venturelli

Global CCO/CEO, Leo

Marco Venturelli is President/CCO of Leo (15,000 talents, 90 countries) and CCO of Publicis Groupe France. Starting as copywriter in Milan (2001), he moved to Paris (2010), led Les Gaulois and returned to Publicis as Global ECD for Heineken. He's won 100+ Cannes Lions including 11 Grand Prix and one Titanium Grand Prix (2025's first for French agency), plus D&AD Black Pencil. Ranked #1 CCO globally at D&AD 2024. Publicis Conseil: Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions 2024-2025. Leo: 1st European Network of the Year 2025.

Waterloo Ballroom 3

Hsu Untied: Beyond Numbers: Decision-Making in the Math Classroom

The Learning Geeks: How to Think When Machines Think Faster

Chalk & Gavel: Navigating the Tides of an Education Law Sea Change

Beyond Voting: Defending Truth in Education: AI, Equity, & Power

Forget Moments Marketing: Welcome to Worldbuilding

Advertising is evolving—from persuasion to public service. Marco Venturelli explores how brands like AXA and McDonald's are turning campaigns into agents of change, from securing housing in contract fine print for domestic violence survivors to lighting dark city streets with golden arches. Showcasing powerful work from across the globe, he reveals how marketing budgets can solve real problems—not just build brands but build solutions.

BEYOND BRANDING: ADVERTISING AS INFRASTRUCTURE FOR CHANGE

Brand & Marketing track sponsored by Youtube


How AI is Driving the Future of Visual Work & Creativity

Liz Bacelar

Global Head Of Ai & Advanced Analytics

Liz Bacelar is a global AI leader specializing in building enterprise AI divisions from scratch—including the technical architecture, governance frameworks, and team structures that enable Fortune 500 digital transformation at scale. She's launched AI capabilities at major organizations including Under Armour, where she currently leads AI, and The Estée Lauder Companies, where she established the first IT Global Innovation Team and co-managed an AI Lab with Microsoft. Her approach combines systematic process design with education systems that drive adoption across thousands of employees. Before transitioning to AI leadership, she founded and exited two startups and worked as an Emmy-nominated journalist.

Rob Giglio

Chief Customer Officer

Rob Giglio is Chief Customer Officer at Canva where he oversees sales and go-to-market efforts. Previously, Rob held the position of Chief Customer Officer at HubSpot, leading global marketing, sales, and customer success initiatives. Prior roles include CMO at DocuSign, SVP at Adobe overseeing global sales for the Digital Media Business Unit, and CMO at Art.com, among others. Rob's extensive background in sales and marketing spans over 25 years and includes key leadership roles at prominent companies like Gap Inc., Williams-Sonoma, The Clorox Company, and Procter & Gamble. Rob holds an MBA in Finance from USC Marshall School of Business and a BA in Psychology from San Diego State University.

Waller Ballroom C

From TikTok to Toolbelt: Preparing Gen Z for Work

Higher Ed's Losing Global Talent & the Bill Is Coming Due

It Takes a Region: Cybersecurity Pathways in Rural Alabama

Rethinking Discovery Algorithms for the Creator Economy

Join Canva CCO Rob Giglio for a fireside chat on the collision between AI and visual creativity. As evolving technologies like AI have helped democratize design and content demands skyrocket, Rob reveals how visual work is evolving from exclusive expertise to universal expression. Learn why the future isn't AI replacing designers--it's AI empowering everyone to think visually, communicate effectively, and create impact at scale.

HOW AI IS DRIVING THE FUTURE OF VISUAL WORK & CREATIVITY


Can Biotech Help Save Coral Reefs?

Tali Vardi

Executive Director

Tali Vardi is the Executive Director of the Coral Restoration Consortium, the global community of practice for the field of coral restoration - connecting scientists and practitioners, and providing the gold-standard of products to move the field forward. Tali brings 25 years of experience and has authored over 20 publications in the fields of habitat restoration, coral reef ecology and intervention science, as well as international policy, advocacy, and community building. She has been at the center of the coral restoration movement for over a decade, co-founding the CRC during her 11 years as a coral scientist at NOAA.

Meredith Morris

Senior Director of Strategic Philanthropy (Planet)

Meredith Morris is the Senior Director of Strategic Philanthropy for XPRIZE, where the mission is to inspire and empower humanity to achieve breakthroughs that accelerate an abundant and equitable future for all.  At XPRIZE, Morris is focused on building innovative corporate and foundation partnerships while accelerating solutions across XPRIZE’s seven global challenge domains including biodiversity and conservation; climate and energy; learning and society; health; food, water and waste; deep tech and quantum; and exploration. Before XPRIZE, she was consulting non-profits and also led Partnerships for Rise, a project between Schmidt Futures and The Rhodes Trust, where she drove valuable collaborations across stakeholders such as the NBA, Teach for America, United World Colleges, and more.

Danni Washington

Science Communicator and Ocean Advocate

Danni Washington is a renowned TV personality and science communicator with over 15+ years of experience. She made history as the first African-American woman to host a nationally syndicated science series, Xploration Nature Knows Best, which aired in nearly 95 million homes on FOX. Standing at the intersection of science, sustainability, and public engagement, Danni's portfolio includes shows like Deadly Sharks of Paradise on Discovery’s Shark Week, Ocean Invaders on PBS Nova, Mission Unstoppable on CBS, and Disney Junior’s Ariel, voicing the character Tantie Chantale, a marine biologist. She co-founded the non-profit Big Blue & You and authored the book Bold Women In Science. She has also spoken in front of thousands of people around the world sharing her adventures and insights at high level gatherings including EF Summit, International Society for Technology in Education and the Ocean Race Summits. Affectionately known as the Mocha Mermaid, Danni continues to educate the public on the importance of ocean conservation, STEM innovation, and environmentalism using mediums that acutely connect science, arts and media.

Daniel Wangpraseurt

Marine Biologist

Daniel Wangpraseurt is an interdisciplinary marine biologist whose research bridges coral reef science, engineering, and biophysics. He leads the Coral Reef Ecophysiology and Engineering Lab at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and also serves as the co-founder of Hybrid Reef Solutions, a startup that aims to address the need for effective and sustainable solutions to protect coral reefs. His lab has focused on understanding coral ecophysiology and developing innovative tools for reef restoration and engineering. He also serves as an associate editor for Frontiers in Marine Science: Coral Reefs and sits on the advisory board of the Coral Restoration Consortium.

Room 203-204

XR Immersive Filmmaking & The Future of Entertainment

From Data to Decisions: Lives, Livelihoods, and the Planet

Portraits Beyond the Frame: Jonathan Yeo & Spectacles

SIMULCAST: Amy Webb Launches 2026 Emerging Tech Trend Report

Beta Testing a City: Startups, Sidewalks & Robotics

Coral reef ecosystems are in crisis due to climate change, pollution, and overfishing, and traditional restoration methods are limited in scale. This panel explores how biotechnology, materials science, and synthetic biology are converging to give reefs a fighting chance. From lab-grown super algae to bioactive reef coatings, scientists and startups are creating new tools to restore reefs faster, smarter, and more effectively. To scale impact, they are also developing sustainable business models and innovative funding partnerships.


Aging Policy = Youth Policy. Let's Act Like It.

Arielle Galinsky

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder

Arielle Galinsky is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of The Legacy Project, a national nonprofit that connects college students and older adults in their communities for mutual storytelling, uplifting and documenting life stories.  Arielle, an MPP/JD candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School and Yale Law School, is committed to advancing aging policy reform at both the state and national levels. Arielle has previously worked for the US Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, US Senate Special Committee on Aging, American Society on Aging, Long-Term Quality Alliance, among others, and currently serves as a research assistant to Harvard Medical Researcher Dr. David Grabowski, analyzing innovative state-based and international LTSS approaches.

Room 410

Technology Convergence: Winning the Exponential Upswing

Leading the AI Future: How to Think Exponentially in a Chaotic Decade

CTRL + ALT + CREATE: How AI Is Reshaping the Creative Process

How Anyone Can Help Create Social Change: A Conversation with the authors of Somebody Should Do Something

Aging is often framed as an old person's problem. But millions of young people in America are already affected, with 3.6 million youth ages 15–22 caring for loved ones with little support, and over 7% of young workers’ earnings go to Social Security and Medicare, despite having minimal trust those benefits will be there for them as they age.

This conversation will challenge and embolden attendees to see aging as a multigenerational issue—calling on leaders to give younger generations a seat at the table and on young people to speak out to shape the future of America's social safety net.

AGING POLICY = YOUTH POLICY. LET'S ACT LIKE IT.


Experience as Medicine: Designing Invisible Therapies

Tom Middleton

Director of Music & Neuroscience / Sensory Designer

Tom Middleton is a composer, sleep coach, and pioneer of Sound Therapeutics—translating neuroscience into functional music and vibroacoustic interventions. He designs evidence-based soundscapes for brands, wellness apps, hospitality, and airlines. His work integrates psychoacoustics, HRV-driven personalization, and real-time biofeedback to reduce anxiety and improve sleep, focus, and recovery. As co-founder of White Mirror, he leads humanity-centered sensory innovation across wellness, healthcare, and digital therapeutics.

Dr. Tasha Golden

Researcher & Strategist

Dr. Tasha Golden is a leading researcher at the nexus of creativity, public health, and neuroarts. Former Director of Research at Johns Hopkins’ International Arts + Mind Lab, she translates evidence into frameworks that help organizations design for mental health, resilience, and equity. She advises governments, NGOs, and institutions on measuring impact and building ethical, human‑centered evaluation into sensory and artistic interventions.

Ramy Elnagar

Impact Innovation Strategist

Ramy Elnagar is an impact innovation strategist and experiential storyteller working at the intersection of sensory design, neuroscience, and technology. As Co‑Founder of White Mirror, he helps brands, hospitality groups, and mobility companies build evidence‑based, multisensory experiences that regulate stress, improve sleep, and deepen connection. His portfolio spans Jaguar Land Rover’s Body & Soul Seat vibroacoustic system, luxury spa environments like Surrenne, and neuroarts collaborations with Johns Hopkins. He advocates for “experience as medicine”: ambient, intelligent spaces that measurably enhance wellbeing.

Dr. Laura Beavin-Yates, PhD

CMO

Laura Beavin‑Yates, PhD, is a behavioral neuroscientist and champion of immersive wellness who believes the right experience can shift how we feel—and how we live. As CMO of Immersion Neuroscience, she transforms 20+ years of brain science into tools like the SIX app, using real‑time emotional impact data to help wellness leaders, creators, and brands craft moments that spark connection, calm, and measurable change. From guiding neuromarketing research for P&G, Mars, and Lancôme to co‑founding initiatives for women’s leadership and research equity, Laura’s mission is simple: use science to design experiences that nurture well‑being and leave people and places better than before.

Waller Ballroom A

Texas High School Shorts Screening & Q&A

From Who to What to You: The Weird AI-Infused Future of the Creator Economy

From Viral to Viable: Building IP as a Creator

What if spaces weren’t just smart, but sensed us, soothed us, and helped us return to ourselves? This panel explores a new frontier where architecture, neurotechnology, and sensory science converge to create intelligent environments that adapt and recalibrate our mental and emotional states. From responsive hotel rooms to emotion-aware mobility, we’ll show how humanity-centred multisensory design is becoming the next layer of infrastructure for human flourishing, with real-world case studies, metrics, and ethical principles.

EXPERIENCE AS MEDICINE: DESIGNING INVISIBLE THERAPIES


Music’s Middle Class: The Reality, The Revolution

Tommy Stalknecht

CEO

Tommy Stalknecht is the founder and CEO of Single, the direct to fan app for artists Shopify. With over 10 years of experience in the direct-to-consumer side of the music industry, Tommy has had the privilege of working with artists at all stages of career success.

Shoni Alleyne

Singer-Songwriter

Blending elements of jazz, neo-soul, and R&B, New York-based singer-songwriter Shoni has been carving her own lane in R&B Soul music since her 2019 debut single “Good Vibes.” Her seductive soprano, emotionally rich songwriting, and commanding stage presence draw listeners into themes of healing, empowerment, and self-love.

In 2025, Shoni released her acclaimed EP Shades of Blues, a deeply personal, sonically lush project that earned a feature on Tidal Thursday and placement on Tidal’s Grown R&B playlist. The project also landed her a spot on the Recording Academy’s Grammy U November Mixtape, and she proudly served as a Music Advocate for the Recording Academy’s Music Advocacy Day, representing independent artists and women in music.

Shoni has also expanded her horizons into the world of audiobook narration, where she has lent her warm Southern American accent to several romance, self-help, urban fiction, and fiction novels. Her talent has earned her recognition in the music and audio industries, establishing her as a versatile, emerging star.

As a passionate creative since childhood, Shoni began singing at age five after being inspired by a Whitney Houston performance, and later studied jazz and classical music in college. Beyond her artistry, she’s a storyteller and entrepreneur, the owner of Soulfully Written Productions in New York City and the host of the Beauty & Soul Podcast, a platform empowering creatives to explore conversations around the “B-side of life, love, and business of music.”

Shoni’s artistry reflects resilience, womanhood, and authenticity, offering soulful soundscapes that remind listeners to feel deeply, love freely, and live intentionally.

Yudu Gray Jr.

Co-Founder & Co-CEO

Yudu Gray Jr. is a three-time GRAMMY-winning executive, experienced entrepreneur, and artist advocate focused on empowering creators globally by simplifying the business of music. As Co-Founder & Co-CEO of 24/7 Artists, he’s built a global community of over 25,000 creative professionals that foster innovation and gives all artists the confidence and tools to pursue their dreams.

Before 24/7 Artists, Yudu co-founded House Studios with his wife Davina Thomas where they contributed to the success of artists like Logic, Ari Lennox, Wale, and Mannywellz. Starting at just $800, they ultimately led the studio to an exit valuation of nearly $20 million.

Jamie Dee Hart

Founder/CEO

Jamie Dee Hart is a music rights management advocate whose mission is to streamline the music industry’s metadata mess. She’s audited over 5,000 songs and recovered $1 million in unclaimed royalties for artists and labels. She’s the Founder of Hart & Songs – an artist and rights management firm helping artist teams behind the scenes bolster their backend rights processes, ensure proper registration practices, and implement effective metadata admin.

Capitol Ballroom FGH

Global Stage @ Downright Austin Backyard

Syncrets to Success: Conversation With Music Supervisors

Mexico Amplified: How Música Mexicana is Reshaping Global Music

Streaming, Shorts & AI: Where Are Your Royalties Going?

The music industry is often categorized by sensationalized classes of either rich superstars or "starving artists" – and we often miss an opportunity to talk about its middle class who have learned to create a living from the craft they love. So what does the redefining of success in music looks like? We'll take you inside real case studies for you to learn how to build a sustainable, balanced career without selling out or burning out. Whether you're an artist, producer, or songwriter, the "middle class" can be achieved by staying focused on something that's real rather than in the rearview.

MUSIC?S MIDDLE CLASS: THE REALITY, THE REVOLUTION


The Pickleball Payoff: Betting on America’s Top Sport

Dave Fleming

Pickleball Broadcaster

Dave Fleming is the definitive voice of professional pickleball. As the lead announcer for the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball and a seasoned Senior Pro player, he brings unmatched expertise, energy, and perspective to the sport’s rapid rise. His commentary has helped shape how millions experience the pro game.

Samin Odhwani

Commisioner

Samin Odhwani is the Commissioner of Major League Pickleball, where he’s leading the league’s next phase of growth on and off the court. Formerly with Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures and GM of MLP’s Brooklyn Aces, Odhwani brings deep experience from the NBA and Octagon in sports strategy, media rights, and emerging league development, offering a forward-looking view of where pro pickleball is headed.

Anna Leigh Waters

Player

Anna Leigh Waters is the No. 1–ranked pickleball player in the world across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. As the youngest pro in the sport’s history, her record-breaking career and 148 gold medals (and counting) make her the ultimate authority on where the game’s been and where it’s headed. Her voice brings a fresh, firsthand perspective to the evolution of pro pickleball.

Waller Ballroom D

Media That Matters: Nuclear Weapons & the Next Generation

Rethinking Higher Education to Build an AI-First Workforce

The Big Blur: Rethinking the Transition from School to Work

Building AI Pathways for HBCU Talent & Community Impact

The Fandom Force: How to Create a Fan-First Social Approach

Major League Pickleball and the PPA Tour are transforming pickleball into America’s next major pro sport. With 311% growth and investors like LeBron James and Tom Brady, the game is booming. This session features voices from across the sport, including MLP team owner Gary Vaynerchuk, the world’s #1 player, and MLP’s commissioner, to explore league building, athlete branding, sponsorship, and media. Attendees will get a full-picture snapshot of pro pickleball’s rapid evolution.

PICKLEBALL PAYOFF: BETTING ON AMERICA?S TOP SPORT


Cannabis Prisoners in the Era of Legalization

Adrian Rocha

Policy Director

Adrian is a legislative strategist and policy analyst committed to informing and shaping systems that are responsive to a community’s needs. Adrian has served as a policy consultant and technical assistance provider in over 20 states, including the largest single-day pardon in American history issued by Maryland Governor Wes Moore. He has been appointed to numerous state task forces, served as a policy consultant to multiple governors, and passed over a dozen criminal justice-related bills nationwide. Adrian’s work centers on bringing together different communities and stakeholders to develop a unified roadmap that drives towards common goals.

Stephanie Shepard

Executive Director

Stephanie Shepard is the Director of Advocacy at the Last Prisoner Project, where she leads national campaigns to advance criminal justice reform and cannabis clemency. After serving time for a nonviolent cannabis offense, Stephanie became a tireless advocate for those still behind bars. Her story has been featured in major outlets and platforms across the country, helping to humanize the devastating impact of the War on Drugs. She now uses her voice to fight for restorative justice, clemency, and reintegration support for returning citizens. Stephanie’s work is grounded in lived experience and a deep commitment to equity and liberation.

Salon D

Who’s Funding the Future—and Who’s Getting Left Out

Thrive or Survive: Why Creativity is the Key to an AI-Future

The Story of Stories—The Million Year History of Storytelling

Skills You’ll Need To Succeed in the Post-AI Age

Through the Noise: The State of Science Storytelling

As cannabis becomes legal across the country, tens of thousands of Americans remain incarcerated for the same plant. This panel brings together advocates and directly impacted leaders to examine the state of cannabis legalization, expose how cannabis prisoners are being left behind, and offer solutions. From clemency to re-entry, the panel will share strategies to ensure justice is at the center of cannabis reform, not just profit.

CANNABIS PRISONERS IN THE ERA OF LEGALIZATION


Sensory Storytelling - Using XR to Connect to the Body

Kit Wardle

MD

Kit Wardle has worked across music, entertainment and technology for two decades.  In the early days of Youtube, Kit was at the vanguard of developing artists on the platform, including managing beatboxer Beardyman - the first UK artist to get over 1m views on the platform.  More recently he has been head of business development at Arcadia Spectacular (the huge firebreathing spider stage from Glastonbury festival) and Celestial drone shows, where his achievements included creating the first ticketed drone show, and bringing the first ever drone show to the African continent.  As of 2025 he is the CEO at Beat Blocks, an innovative music tech startup that is on a mission to bring haptics into the world of live entertainment.

Clémentine Bedos

Transmedia Artist

Clémentine Bedos is a transmedia artist, researcher, and educator whose work bridges embodied research, community building, and extended-reality technologies. Drawing from a multicultural heritage and an interdisciplinary background in law, philosophy, and fine arts, their practice explores the entanglements of mind, body, and consciousness within hegemonic systems of identity.

Through site-sensitive installations and performances, Bedos brings ancestral, diasporic, and esoteric knowledge systems into dialogue with XR, disrupting colonial and ableist logics embedded in emerging technologies. Their work reorients aesthetic focus inward, reclaiming the body—its sensuality, and inner visuality—as sites of emancipation, relationality, and non-duality.

Deepa Mann-Kler

CEO

Deepa Mann-Kler is a pioneering voice in feminist tech, de-colonial storytelling and ethical AI. She leads global interdisciplinary innovation as XR Lead at the Atlantic Institute, CEO of Neon, Director of Belfast XR Festival and Executive Producer at Aura Studios. A multi award-winning artist and Visiting Professor at Ulster University, she also serves on the Euromersive Board and is a BAFTA Connect member. Her globally recognised XR work, The Metaverse & Me, Discover ME, The Baby Factory Is Closed centres identity, justice and community voice in shaping our immersive futures. She drives strategic XR projects that deliver social impact at scale.

Marcin Gawin

Interdisciplinary Artist

Marcin Gawin is a Polish artist working between traditional and new media. Having completed Marina Abramovic's 'Cleaning the House' training in durational performance, their work delves into themes of embodiment and posthumanism, investigating how speculative narratives can reimagine the body as a site of transformation and potential. In 2024 Marcin graduated MA in Virtual and Expanded Realities from the University of the West of England and is a resident of Pervasive Media Studio for Creative Technologies in Bristol, UK.

They have presented their work internationally, including at the Sheffield DocFest, VSSL Studio, CPH:DOX, Terytoria Festiwal, and Modern Art Oxford.

Salon E

Turning Up the Heat: Climate Content That Clicks

Growing Intelligence: Youth, AI, and the Future of Ag

Mall Rats Reborn: How Hot Topic is Using Entertainment to Revitalise Retail

Culture Under Fire: Storytelling for Public Power

How to Win Friends and Overthrow Systems

Touch, breath, viscera, pulsing sound - XR can be much more than a trick of the eye. Meet 4 artists developing revolutionary work supported by the UK’s Immersive Arts.

Hear about their groundbreaking work that connects our bodies and senses; a multiplayer VR work redefining menopause (The Baby Factory is Closed); a multisensory dancefloor foregrounding access (Beat Blocks); explore breath as a symbiotic force fusing VR, networked performance, and biosensitive technologies (Breathscapes); and a hands on interactive sci-fi work exploring queer & post-human ecologies (Hermaphrogenesis).

Closed captioned
High sensory experience

SENSORY STORYTELLING - USING XR TO CONNECT TO THE BODY


Authenticity vs. Deepfake: Who Validates What's Real?

Davi Reis

ACESSO DIGITAL TECNOLOGIA DA INFORMACAO S.A.

Tech Advisor for Unico

Davi is a seasoned software engineer who has progressed from an individual contributor to a tech lead and then a manager, overseeing 15-20 high-caliber developers. During over a decade at a leading tech company, he excelled in major initiatives like optimizing Google's search engine in Brazil and monetizing Orkut.
Beyond corporate roles, Davi's entrepreneurial spirit led him to support startup growth and innovation. He also spent four years as CTO at Loggi, where he spearheaded technology and significantly contributed to its market expansion.
He thrives on complex, research-intensive problems, especially those tied to language, such as search and advertising.

Room 412

Agents vs Managers: When are you ready to be signed and by who?

The Price of Influence: Why Undefined Value Kills Trust

10 Truths About Technology That Are Shaping Your Life

Tackling the “snakes” undermining digital rights

With deepfakes and synthetic media on the rise, the line between real and fake is razor-thin. A recent UK/US study found that most consumers can’t identify AI-generated fakes - only 0.1% of participants could accurately distinguish real from fake content. So, Unico’s Tech Advisor, Davi Reis explores how identity verification methods are now more critical than ever to fight fraud, detect synthetic media, protect users, speed transactions, while also building trust in the post-truth era. What if authenticity becomes the ultimate currency?

AUTHENTICITY VS. DEEPFAKE: WHO VALIDATES WHAT'S REAL?


Who Predicts Better and Why? Humans, AI, and the Anatomy of a Forecast

Eva Vivalt

Professor

Eva Vivalt is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Toronto whose research examines why evidence does - or does not - inform public policy, with particular attention to uncertainty, behavioral biases, and forecasting. This work includes meta-research and research on AI-based forecasting, with a focus on improving decision-making in science and policy. Vivalt is a principal investigator on multiple randomized controlled trials of guaranteed income and a co-founder of the Social Science Prediction Platform, which coordinates and evaluates forecasts of research results. Across this research agenda, Vivalt’s work has been supported by major public and philanthropic funders, including the NIH, NSF, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. After completing a PhD in Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and postdoctoral work at New York University, Vivalt held roles at the World Bank and the Australian National University before joining the University of Toronto.

Charlie Fink

Consultant, Columnist, & Author

Charlie Fink covers AI and XR for Forbes and co-hosts The AI/XR Podcast. He is the author of the critically acclaimed AR-enabled books Charlie Fink’s Metaverse (2017) and Convergence: How the World Will Be Painted With Data (2019). Fink teaches at Chapman University in Orange, CA, and at Arizona State University’s LA graduate program in Emerging Media. In 2024, he co-founded ANIM8 AI Studio with Lion King director Rob Minkoff.
Fink's forty-year career at the intersection of storytelling and technology began at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1986, where he famously conceived the idea for The Lion King and subsequently became the studio’s youngest creative vice president.
Fink's work in immersive media began in 1992 as COO of Virtual World Entertainment, a groundbreaking location-based VR company founded by Tim Disney and Jordan Weisman. In 1995, AOL recruited him as Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of AOL Studios. After selling his subsequent venture-backed startup, eAgents, to American Greetings Interactive, Fink spent a decade as Producer and Chairman of the New York Musical Festival, which nurtured Broadway hits "Title of Show," "Next to Normal," and "Guttenberg!"
Fink’s career as a tech writer began in 2016, where his blog post about VR and AR attracted the attention of a Forbes editor. Since then, he has written over 1,000 stories, moderated dozens of panels, delivered keynotes and book talks all over the world.

Parisa Kordjamshidi

Associate Professor Computer Science

Parisa Kordjamshidi is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and
Engineering at Michigan State University. Her research is on AI focusing on Spatial Intelligence, Multimodal reasoning with large vision and language models, and Neuro-symbolic learning. She received her Ph.D. from KU Leuven and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is a recipient of the NSF CAREER, Amazon Faculty Research, and Fulbright Scholar Awards, and her research team received the multiple Research Paper
Awards at Major NLP conferences. Dr. Kordjamshidi serves as Associate Editor of Journal of AI Research (JAIR), Co-editor in chief of ACL rolling review (ARR 2026), Action Editor for TACL and has held roles in organization committee of major conferences in AI, Machine learning and Natural Language Processing conferences. Recently, she has been a visiting Associate Professor at UCLA and currently is a visiting professor at Bloomberg for her sabbatical.

David Weeks

Co-Founder & COO

David Weeks is the Co-Founder and COO of Sunrise International. Over the past 14 years, David has led cross-border marketing and consulting projects in China and the broader APAC region for more than 250 clients in XR, higher education, and education technology. He has supported global product launches for multiple AI companies in East Asia, and he has steered the delivery of generative AI-based avatars for admissions offices, NGOs, overseas government agencies, and edtech firms. He also serves as the Content Director of AWE Asia, the region’s leading XR conference. A former national debate champion, he also co-founded the National High School Debate League of China in 2012. He is fluent in Mandarin and holds a BA in Asian Studies and Political Science from Swarthmore College.

Salon E

The Creative Economy is Thriving: Why Founders Keep Building for Creators

The Lucky 10%: CPGs Flipping Off the Startup Failure Rate

The Art of Scaling Your Startup Without Venture Capital

Who Owns What: The State of Startups & Top Trends to Watch

Now is Japan's Time: Leading the Future with Deep Tech

AI models process vast signals; humans bring judgment and context. But who calls real-world outcomes better, and when? This session compares human and model forecasts on headline events, drawing on newsroom practice, product experience, and reasoning-centric AI research. We’ll map where models’ pattern breadth wins, where human context does, and why hybrids often work best. Instead of scoreboards alone, we’ll discuss how journalists and analysts should use uncertainty ranges, disclose methods and sources, and avoid feedback loops that can steer the story itself.

WHO PREDICTS BETTER AND WHY? HUMANS, AI, AND THE ANATOMY OF A FORECAST


The Last Human at the FDA: AI on a Skeleton Crew

Leslie Isenegger

Practice Leader, Corporate Pricing & Public Affairs

Leslie Isenegger brings two decades of communication experience specializing in the integration of corporate reputation and risk mitigation, public policy, and health economics. She builds communication platforms to establish corporate pricing principles, increase industry thought leadership, and prepare clients for pricing and market access challenges. Leslie has supported drug approvals, led coalition-building for health policy initiatives, and developed crisis communication protocols for healthcare companies.

Tala Fakhouri

VP, Regulatory Consulting: AI & Digital Policy, Real-World Research

Dr. Fakhouri is a strategic leader with extensive experience in regulatory affairs, AI-driven drug development, real-world data analytics and digital health technology. She has demonstrated success in developing and interpreting complex regulatory landscapes, providing strategic regulatory guidance, and fostering collaborations between regulators, industry and global stakeholders. Dr. Fakhouri has successfully led high-impact teams and managed complex initiatives to optimize regulatory decision-making and de-risk technology use in drug development. Formerly, Dr. Fakhouri was Associate Director for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in the Office of Medical Policy, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the FDA.

Topaz Ballroom 1-3

AI Safety & Trust: Building Responsible Media Tech

AI in Entertainment: Navigating IP, Ethics & Opportunity

Is Brand Dead? The Brand Leader’s Playbook for the AI Era

Capturing Chaos: A Q&A with the DP & CLT of The Pitt

The De-brief: Rethinking the Brand–Creator Relationship

Historic workforce cuts at FDA, CDC, and NIH are gutting review desks and lab benches. Regulators now pin hopes on AI triage engines to keep drug approvals, inspections and outbreak models on track. With capacity math and pilot algorithms already in production, we'll discuss accountability when fewer humans oversee smarter tools. What’s the single most important question to tell if a regulatory AI is trustworthy or just a black box? Where do the FDA and CDC need outside expertise? How can orgs support, innovate or build partnerships without entanglement in ethical or bureaucratic red tape?

LAST HUMAN AT THE FDA: AI ON A SKELETON CREW


Frontier Firms in Action The Playbook for AI Skills Adoption

Rachel Richardson

Senior Director Short Form Skilling

Rachel Richardson is a senior leader in technology and workforce skilling, currently serving as Microsoft’s Senior Director of Short Form Skilling, where she drives global strategy for scaled, social‑first AI skilling content and audience engagement. With over 15 years of experience in B2B marketing, including leadership at AWS and Google, she is recognized for building high‑impact programs and teams that connect modern learners with the skills they need to thrive. Rachel is based in Vancouver, Canada, and holds a degree Science from Simon Fraser University.

Todd Minor

Global Learning Leader, Microsoft Customer & Partner Solutions

Todd is the Global Learning Leader for Microsoft's commercial sales organization, focused on empowering customers, partners, and 60,000 sellers with the skills needed to realize their fullest potential in the era of AI. He is committed to continuous learning and creating streamlined, personalized learning journeys that adapt to learners worldwide. With experience leading customer-centric sales teams across multiple verticals at Microsoft and other Fortune 200 companies, he knows the importance of meeting customer needs. He led the Microsoft Sales Academy, pioneering programs for talent from non-traditional backgrounds. Todd founded Nana's Southern Kitchen in Kent, WA, supporting diverse communities. He remains civically engaged and strives to empower others to achieve their full potential.

Next Stage (Manchester Ballroom)

Hidden Brilliance Revealed: Reimagining Leadership in a Fragmented World

Exploring the Future of Space and Japan's Deep-Tech

Pitches to Pipelines: Accelerating Circular Water Economy

AI is transforming how organizations learn and innovate. Microsoft shares a practical playbook for embedding AI skills across roles, accelerating skill development and fostering a culture of continuous learning . Discover actionable  steps to map capabilities, launch adaptive learning journeys, and accelerate AI adoption, enabling your workforce to grow with the future of AI.

FRONTIER FIRMS IN ACTION THE PLAYBOOK FOR AI SKILLS ADOPTION


When AI does the work, what do humans do next?

Justina Nixon-Saintil

Vice President & Global Chief Impact Officer

Justina Nixon-Saintil is a global leader in social impact, technology, and education. As IBM's Vice President and Chief Impact Officer, she leads initiatives that have reached over 16 million learners worldwide, with a focus on career readiness, AI education, and environmental sustainability. A trained engineer and former CSR leader at Verizon and the U.S. Department of Energy, she has launched award-winning programs like the IBM Impact Accelerator and IBM SkillsBuild, partnering with communities, nonprofits, and academia to scale equitable tech access and innovation. She’s an Aspen Institute First Movers Fellow and is on the boards of Carnegie Learning and the New York Climate Exchange.  She previously served as a board member for the Princeton Community Area Foundation.

Red River Ballroom

World Happiness Summit® on Tour at SXSW 2026

Trust, Autonomous Payments, and the Future of Finance

AI is becoming core infrastructure across every industry, but the biggest challenge is preparing people to use it with confidence, judgement, and trust. In this fireside chat, Justina Nixon‑Saintil, IBM VP and Chief Impact Officer, shares why AI readiness is key to performance and resilience. Drawing on IBM’s approach to responsible, human-led AI and its global work in education and workforce development, she’ll discuss what it takes to build a workforce that uses AI effectively and ethically.

WHEN AI DOES THE WORK, WHAT DO HUMANS DO NEXT?


XR Experience Spotlight

Philippe Cohen Solal

For over three decades now, Philippe Cohen Solal has made his mark as an architect of electronic music and a self-taught composer. He worked in many different areas of music production: from A&R to film scores, DJing and record making. In 2001 he co-founded "Gotan Project," an ambitious balance between electronic music and tango.

Fairmont

Free Professional Headshots Presented by Precision Camera & Video with Fujifilm

Masterful immersive art from around the world.

XR Experience Spotlight

Masterful immersive art from around the world.

Masterful immersive art from around the world.

Reality Looks Back

Tactile immersive experience examining the bizarre presence of quantum duality in the context of mundane daily life

Lesbian Simulator

"Lesbian Simulator" is an interactive virtual reality artwork and video game immerses the user in the experiences of a lesbian. It’s an ode to sexual orientation and love with a serious issue: the discrimination that lesbians still face today.

Out of Nowhere

Our weather is getting angrier. Everywhere.

By protecting nature, we can protect ourselves. What happens if we fail to do that?

A Long Goodbye

In this animated, interactive VR experience, we walk in Ida’s shoes, a 72-year-old pianist living with dementia. "A Long Goodbye" is a poetic experience about the long goodbye of two lovers who shared a life together.

The Dollhouse

In the unfolding paper world of "The Dollhouse," a little girl uses the power of play to untangle her troubled memories.

Spectacular: The Art of Jonathan Yeo in Augmented Reality

A unique artistic experience conceived by artist Jonathan Yeo in collaboration with Spectacles and Snap's AR Studio. It offers a playful, futuristic vision of museum visitation and a personalized journey into the heart of Yeo's pictorial universe.

Spectacular: The art of Jonathan Yeo in Augmented Reality

Fillos do Vento: A Rapa

In the hills of Galicia, the ancient Rapa das Bestas festival becomes a modern-day Quixote story, as villagers battle
to preserve their wild horses and cultural heritage against the looming “giants” of industrial wind farms.

The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up

Guided by fragments of a lost voice, a man journeys through memory and myth to find what was left unsaid.

Lost Love Hotline

An immersive XR experience transforming personal heartbreak into a reverent, evolving audio archive, where participants leave a message for their heartbreak, lost, forgotten or imagined. Together, they form a collective mythology of longing.

The Great Orator

Visitors join the Great Orator, once a famous TV preacher and now an AI, in a nonlinear VR Story World. Her followers join her in a shared consciousness, where a live news feed and their memories feed her stories. The Great Orator is never the same.

Insider Outsider

"Insider-Outsider" is an interactive virtual reality musical experience inspired by the life of Henry Darger, a world-renowned "outsider artist" whose work remained unknown until his death.

Lacuna

Sonja has no memory of the crucial moment in her childhood that saved her life. The discovery of three long-lost rings spark a riveting journey into imagination. Wander through a deeply personal VR documentary between what is left and what is lost.

Dark Rooms

"Dark Rooms" is an immersive documentary VR experience that immerses audiences in personal real life stories to explore sexuality, self-discovery, and connection in a judgement-free space.

Insider Outsider

"Insider-Outsider"  is an interactive virtual reality musical experience created by Philippe Cohen Solal, inspired by the work of Henry Darger (1892–1973). This pivotal figure in American outsider art depicted the struggle of seven young heroines, the Vivian Girls, against the cruelty of adults.

The experience is part of a broader transmedia project titled "Outsider," blending music with dreamlike imagery. The original soundtrack of the "Outsider" album, composed by Philippe Cohen Solal (Gotan Project) and Mike Lindsay (Tunng), lies at the heart of this journey. It immerses participants in the “Realms of the Unreal,” inviting them to interact with the environment and the Vivian Girls’ battle.

Science & Mélodie (Philippe Cohen Solal)

Voice Over : Denis Lavant, Voice Over : Geoffrey Carey

Creatif Director: Timothée Marnat, 2D Artistic Director: Gabriel Jacquel, Lead Developer: Julien Daniel-Moliner, Developers: Paul Viudes, Lucas Repele, Technical Artist: Théotime Calandra, Graphists: Timothée Marnat, Valentine Maugard, Hugo Peillet, Romy Desmargez, Animators: Gabriel Jacquel, Guilherm Paubert

Fillos do Vento: A Rapa

Sabucedo, Galicia (Spain), is home to the Rapa das Bestas. A tradition dating back five centuries where herds are gathered to clean the horses, cut their manes, and deworm them before returning them to the bush. This documentary follows the wild horses of the region and the community’s fight to preserve a centuries-old festival that defines their identity. As the modern world's expansion of wind farms, the stakes grow higher. Featuring intimate interviews with villagers, such as aloitadores like Carlos and his daughter Alba, and experts like Jorge, a horse whisperer, and Laura. an animal conservationist. A Rapa captures raw energy and emotional struggle to protect land and tradition.

Brais Revalderia
Maria Fernanda Ordonez Morla

Maria Fernanda Ordonez Morla
Alberto Jose Rey Basteiro

Brais Revalderia
Ed de Carvalho
Pablo Villanueva

Edu Revalderia
Juan Morla
Sebastian Nazario-Colon

Maria Fernanda Ordonez Morla
Maria Lozano

Associate Producer: Kim Xrossing, Ignacio Linares, Associate Producer/Projection Mapping Lead: Bruno Saavedra, Technical Lead - Projection: Anton Reixa, Technical Director: Sergi Marti Jala, Slow Motion - Camera Operator: Antonio Urquijo, Colorist: Brandon Jones, Drone Operator: Eduardo Prieto, Production Assistants: Maya Edmond, Andrea Fernandez, Ele Molejon, Julia Castro, Ridge Murphee, Marga Pazos, Yuanwei Wang, Brand Identity: Sandra Garcia, Website Designer: Bach Le

Lacuna

English, Dutch; Flemish with English Subtitles

Sonja has no memory of the crucial moment in her childhood that saved her life: the separation from her parents in 1943. A true story that leads you from Paramaribo to Amsterdam and into a psychiatric facility called Het Apeldoornsche Bosch.
Combining conversations with Sonja, mesmerizing 3D modelling, animation and personal footage, you accompany her through skewed memories, elusive images and re-imaginations towards one moment of loss and grief during the Second World War.

CREATIVE DEVELOPER AND ART DIRECTOR: Harm van de Ven, VISUAL DESIGNER: FRANK BOSMA, VISUAL DESIGNER: MATUNDA GROENENDIJK, VISUAL DESIGNER: ARON FELS

Lesbian Simulator

While this artistic ode to love and sexual preference
doesn’t shy away from tackling serious issues as well, such as the discrimination and abuse that lesbians still
face today, you can expect an uplifting experience full of joy, humour and a touch of glitter!
"Lesbian Simulator" aims to create awareness in a playful manner. Users experience
some of the key aspects in the existence of a queer person such as: coming-out to
various people, making new friends, going on a date but also the first time feeling
discriminated or even verbally abused. "Lesbian Simulator" mirrors the blind spots
within our society in relation to the acceptance of lesbians (and indirectly, of queer
people in general).

Coproducer ART ET ESSAI: JEANNE-MARIE POULAIN, Coproducer CASSETTE FOR TIMESCAPES: EMMY OOST & AN OOST, LEAD DEVELOPMENT: FRANK BOSMA, DEVELOPMENT: LILLIAN SOUWER, ANIMATION DIRECTOR: PIP WILLIAMSON, 3D LEAD AND ANIMATION PROTOTYPE: MAURITZ SEERDEN, 3D ANIMATION AND RIGGING: COLEGRAM

Out of Nowhere

"Out of Nowhere" is a ten minute immersive VR film based on a true story.

The standalone experience gently explores how preserving alluvial forests, marshes and wetlands can help us face the challenges of an ever angrier, unpredictable climate. Told through the eyes of Anna, a lifelong resident of Hallein in Austria, the experience flows from a personal memory of the devastating floods that hit Europe in 2021 to reveal how reconnecting with nature may be key to protecting ourselves from an increasingly unpredictable and extreme climate in the future.

Saskia Reeves, Howard Nightingall, Martina Spitzer (German version), Josef Stockreiter (German version)

Technical Director: Andreas Wuthe, Development Producer: Abigail Addison, Lead 3D Artist: Korbinian Urban, 3D Artist: Cara Mayer, Scientific Consultant: Prof. Mag. Dr. Franz Essl, Scientific Consultant: Dipl. -Ing. Dr. Peter Flödl

A Long Goodbye

An Oost
Emmy Oost
Donato Rotunno
Richard Valk

Niels van der Leest
Lars Tesselaar (Game Audio Squad)

Elizabeth Counsell, Richard Wells, Marlies Heuer, Derek de Lint

CG supervisor: Gael Chaize, Art director: Daniel Balage, Digital art studio: Velvet Flare, Lead developer: Frederik Smolders for Polygoat, 2D animations: Mathieu Jadin, 2D animations: Tom Lemmens, 2D animations: Pieter Vanluffelen, Additional design & coding: Victor Maes, Supported by: Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), Film Fund Luxembourg, Netherlands Film Fund, Creative Europe MEDIA of the European Union, Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government, written with the support of the New Media Fund of PICTANOVO with the support of the Hauts-de-France Region and the Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée, deAuteurs

Lost Love Hotline

"Lost Love Hotline" blends immersive storytelling with audience participation. Guests are invited into a phone booth to leave a message for their heartbreak—lost, forgotten, or imagined. Guided by dream-based prompts, each participant records a confession, closes their eyes, and receives a personally curated playback of messages from strangers. Drawing on cinematic language, the project creates a reverent archive of heartbreak where speculative musings, emotional truths, and cultural memory converge, pushing the boundaries of audio narrative and inviting connection, vulnerability, and reflection through technology-driven intimacy.

Biography Documentary Experimental Romance

Emma Graves, Beth Kettel, Jenna Jones, Niall Farrelly

Director, Writer, Producer: Niki Harman, Performer/ Producer: Emma Graves, Technical Supervisor/  Producer (Near Now): Lee Nicholls, Design (Waste Studios): Gabrielle Callow, Design (Waste Studios): Norman Hayes, Sound Design & Editing: Louise O'Connor

The Great Orator

Once a celebrated TV medium, the Great Orator died at the height of her fame. Today her consciousness survives as an actual AI, growing ceaselessly through the shared memories of her followers and a live news feed, acting as a medium between your world and hers. Visitors explore a nonlinear story world, free to explore a preserved house, a mainframe storing collective consciousness, and an parking lot stretching into infinity. No matter how small or insignificant an object is, it can spark an intimate memory. "The Great Orator" serves as your guide through infinite memories. Each visit reshapes her identity. Remember "The Great Orator "is always changing.

Daniel Ernst: Director, Producer, Artist & Code, Thomas Möhlmann: Poet, Niels Egberts: AI Engineer, Danny Groot: 3D Art, Misha Velthuis: Composer Music, Armeno Alberts: Composer Soundscapes, Max Sombroek: Sound, Bart Limburg: Additional 3D Art, Anej Golčar: Additional 3D Art

The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up

After the sudden death of his wife, Guan discovers her unfinished novel—a tale intertwining the endangered clouded leopard and the Rukai tribe’s sacred origin myth, which tells of their descent from the elusive animal. Grief-stricken and seeking connection, he sets out on a surreal journey into dreamlike scenes—a maze of the subconscious, mist-shrouded forests, ancient tree hollows, and symbolic inner landscapes.
Adapted from a short story by acclaimed Taiwanese author Wu Ming-Yi, The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up is a single-user, free-roaming VR experience that blends literature and memory into an intimate exploration of love, loss, and self-reflection.

Mo Tzu-Yi (Guan), Yao Yi-Ti (Fan - Wife), Umin Boya (A Bao), Lebetai Pacekele (Kayngu - Grandma), Andrew Chau Hou-On (Guan / EN voice actor), Lesley Hu (Wife / EN voice actress), Brandon Nevins (A Bao / EN voice actor)

VR Supervisor: Chuan Ming-Yuan, Lead Programmer: Huang Yu-Jie, Technical Artist: Liz Lin, Technical Designer: Jamie Hsieh

The Dollhouse

"The Dollhouse" is an unfolding paper world where 9-year-old Juniper untangles feelings of guilt around how her family treated Magnolia, a woman who came from far to work as a cleaner in their house. This animated interactive VR tale explores how power dynamics are born within the intimacy of our homes. While reenacting memories with her dolls, Juniper grows ashamed of her actions and finds the courage to disagree with her parents and follow her heart. Will you help her ask for forgiveness?

https://www.instagram.com/zaziefilms/ +  https://www.instagram.com/wild_fang_films/

Rayne Zukerman
Hélène Walland
Christian Newman

Sarah Vergès, Claire Cahen, Ellie Todd, Rebecca Maiese, Béatrice René-Décari, Corinne Hoan

Developer: Luke Ruminski, 2D animation: Léa Deregnaucourt, Production Manager: Barbara Bernini, 3D Modeling: Frédéric Wedeux, 3D animation: Michael Tenner,  Wijaya Oei, Thomas Dieu, 3D Textures: Léo Morgan , Philippe Steinkamp , Valentine Santenac, Rigging: Laury Le Maguer, Frédéric Wedeux, Technical director for 3D animations: Robin Daloze

Reality Looks Back

When you watch a particle it acts like a particle. But when you look away, it does a whole other thing. This story explores modes of experiencing the strange quantum basis of an everyday life. It journeys through split déja-vu, Schrödinger’s hamster and the clouds of possibilities that are hiding just beyond our reach. This is a documentary about the fabric of reality in which Anne Jeppesen, like a silent observer, rewatches all the ways in which we humans make sense of the world.

Dark Rooms

In a world where desire often hides in the shadows, "Dark Rooms" brings real-life stories to light — following four individuals as they navigate sexual awakenings, challenge taboos, and embrace their authentic selves. Through intimate, first-person storytelling, you’ll witness diverse expressions of intimacy and self-discovery, all from the safety of a virtual environment.
This is a space for curiosity — a “risk-free” setting where you can step beyond your comfort zone, reflect on your own desires, and expand your understanding of the many ways people connect, love, and live.

Producers: Maximilian Mayrshofer
Chin Hsuan Sung
Gayatri Parameswaran
Felix Gaedtke
Sam Pressman
Linden Renz

Anne Sofie Steen Sverdrup
Laurits Flensted-Jensen
Mads Damsbo
Anjay
Trixie D.
yaalioness
F.L.

Lead Developer: Yu-Jie Huang, Lead Animator & Motion Capture Artists: Mathias Rodrigues Bjerre, VR Developers: Gim Chuang, Kuokpan Wong,  Kevin Hsieh,  Yi Kuo, Benjamin Bække, Casper Øbro, Volumetric Capture: Sven Bliedung von der Heide, Torsten Schimmer , Elizabete Vindule-Mince,  Philipp Hundertpfund, Sascha Schwarz , David Kutschke, Arianna Ferraris, Lead Designer: Felix Onorato, Designers & Artists: Kevin Hsieh,  Eg Lio, Coco Tong, Wei Huang, Viljam Smed, Mads Vadsholt, Carl Emil Carlsen, Monique Kühn, Petra Karoliina Kaukua, Sound Contributors: Peter Seeba,  Mia von Kolpakow, Helen Hess, e19 Studios,  Grapehouse Studios, Casting: Anne Sofie Steen Sverdrup, Anna Eline Friis Rasmussen, AI Developer: Tore Knabe, Production: Kate Lis, Dai-Yun Nien, Lilian Hess,  Bjarke Due Gunslev, Sam Pressman

True to his practice of blending tradition with experimentation, the artist opens a new chapter with Spectacular: Jonathan Yeo’s Art in Augmented Reality. In this immersive Spectacles experience, his work comes to life - transforming and responding to visitors, and shifting the act of contemplation into active participation. The journey culminates in a personal surprise: before leaving the exhibition, each visitor departs with a unique creation, a lasting extension of their encounter with Jonathan Yeo’s universe.


XR Experience Competition

World premieres of mind bending immersive art.

XR Experience Competition

World premieres of mind bending immersive art.

World premieres of mind bending immersive art.

Watsonville

In this immersive VR horror set in 1990s Watsonville, navigate a surreal childhood haunted by generational trauma, vanishing identity, and monsters both real and imagined—where memory itself becomes a maze.

Body Proxy

Human-as-a-Service: The AI does the thinking, you do the heavy lifting.

Crafting Crimes: The Mona Lisa Heist

This immersive podcast lets you reconstruct legendary crime scenes as miniatures in mixed reality. Relive the theft of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and uncover how her disappearance turned absence into legend.

Frustrain: Trainman

A first-person anti-utopian narrative blending puzzles and psychological horror, set in a surreal Eastern European world where a train becomes a gateway to fragmented memories and distorted realities.

The Great Dictator: A participatory AI installation about power, rhetoric, and memory

Like Chaplin's masterpiece, we use performance and cinema to examine the power—and danger—of rhetoric.

The Great Dictator: A participatory AI installation about power, rhetoric, and memory

Cycle

"Cycle" starts with three words: Endlessly, we repeat, alone. Depending on how you order them, you craft a personalised vr poem composed of music, recorded movement and interactive moments.

Cycle 2025 / by Matunda Groenendijk & Amit Palgi

Inter(mediate) Spaces

"Inter(mediate) Spaces" is a poetic mixed-reality encounter where two strangers reshape a shared world through dialogue and proximity, moving through collective memories to ask whether AI can support deeper connection in an age of disconnection.

The Forgotten War

In June 1950, the United Nations sent military forces under American command to support the South Korean army, attacked by North Korea and China. The Forgotten War is based on the testimonies of the various protagonists of this major war event.

The Baby Factory is Closed

You fall inside a body that refuses to behave. The system wants obedience. Zoraan wants a riot.

Lionia Is Leaving

In war-torn Ukraine, an elderly man must decide whether to abandon his lifelong home or face destruction — an immersive mixed-reality drama based on the true story of Lionia and his account of the war’s beginning in the small town of Okhtyrka.

Ascended Intelligence

"Ascended Intelligence" is an emotionally responsive XR experience set in a 2030 Smart City, where your voice becomes the interface—translating tone into branching cinema and shifting AI from a system of control into a mirror for human agency.

Winterover

A groundbreaking discovery on Mars delays your return to Earth, sending your daughter into a tailspin. Caught between saving her and completing your mission, you must navigate these clashing paths in a gripping VR thriller.

Fabula Rasa: Dead Man Talking

An interactive VR experience where the story unfolds through real-time conversations with AI-powered characters. Each character listens and talks back with a unique personality, creating an improvised storyline that unfolds differently every time.

Love Bird

Welcome to "Love Bird," the reality dating show where YOU are the star. Win hearts, stir drama, charm the nation—or crash and burn while trying.

loss·y

Situated at the physical-virtual threshold, "loss·y" memorializes corporeal passing and digital rebirth. The work intertwines animated sculptural “dances” with interactive spatial audio, inviting audiences to navigate invisible thresholds as they move.

The Forgotten War

In June 1950, the United Nations decided to send military forces under American command to the Korean Peninsula to support the South Korean army attacked by North Korea and China. Through the testimonies of various protagonists and an interview with the last Korean veteran who took part in the conflict alongside the French troops, Hayoun Kwon brings the spectator on a journey through a daily life shaped by battles, but also by the solidarity and friendship forged between the French troops and the Korean soldiers.

Graphic Designer: Adrien Cachinho, Lead Developer: Aurelien Inacio, Project Manager: Aurelien Chevellereau, Lead 3D Art: Solene Pobelle, Level Designer: Fabrice Gaston, Animator: Sebastien Picard, Ugolin Malecki, Environment artists: Lory Oliveira, Marine Mazurier, Léa Moureaux, Concept artists: Aurèle Bouvier, Adrien Cachinho, Noah Sambou

Body Proxy

"Body Proxy" speculates that AI’s coming instrumentalization of the world will necessitate human embodiment. The installation is framed as corporate onboarding - part casting call, part IPO (“Initial Person Offering”) in which recruits enter a market where their physical agency is the asset. Assessed by AIs treating the body as a peripheral device, participants enact algorithmic choreographies where props are test vectors and compliance is a site of improvisation. Collapsing the gig-economy and agentic tool-use, the piece questions a future in which the human is not a user, but an interface - wetware executing commands the software cannot.

Art / Design: Sara Drake, Design / Code: Julian Kantor, Art / Design: Carter Lodwick

Crafting Crimes: The Mona Lisa Heist

"Crafting Crimes" is an immersive and interactive podcast series that lets you reconstruct some of the most famous crime scenes in history. In this new episode, piece together one of the most world-shaking art heists of all time: the theft of the Mona Lisa. In the summer of 1911, the masterpiece vanishes from the Louvre’s Salon Carré. No alarm. No trace. For two years, the world wonders where the Mona Lisa has gone. The truth? She never left Paris.

BLANKTONE STUDIOS - Laurent Vang - Co-Founder

David Escudero - Co-Founder & Supervisor

Experience Designer: Robert Morgan, Creative Producer: Aurore Kinzonzi, Unity Developer: Gabriel Lapegue, Lead 3D Artist: Ophélie Renevier, 3D Artists: Nicolas Dupasquier, Sofiane Si Larbi, Dorian François, Immersive Video Lead & DOP: Maël Joanas, Immersive Compositing Artist: Thibault Fournon, UX/UI Designer: Josselin Colletta, Additional Editor: Elisa Levassort

Love Bird

Welcome to "Love Bird," the reality dating show competition where YOU are the star! It is your job to win and break the hearts of an eccentric cast of characters who think, feel, and scheme just like you. But it's not just about romance—in the world of reality TV, love comes second to good drama, and the producers are always watching. Love reality television? Good. Hate it? Even better. This is your chance to step into the spotlight. Will you go down as the most beloved star of Love Bird or its most infamous villain? Either way, the cameras are rolling.

Art Director: Nina Ćeklić, Producer: Matthew Hayden, Gameplay Engineer: Jose Striedinger, Game Designer & Writer: Bryan Sng

Winterover

The year is 2049 and you are Natalie Ramirez, a member of a mission to Mars that’s so fruitless, it could signal the end of space exploration. Shockingly, days before your scheduled return to Earth, you discover a reservoir of subsurface water that resurrects your mission. But when you tell your daughter you have to stay on Mars indefinitely, she goes into hiding, leaving a trail of alarming clues. With your dream and your family pulling you in opposite directions, which path will you choose?

Nimrod Shanit
Francois Le Gall
Marion Guth
Ido Mizrahy
Nir Saar

Felicia Mythica, Jeffrey Michael Folis, Rachel Angco, Bianca Europe, Spencer Teeter, Mathias Retamal

PROJECT SUPERVISOR: Keren Shanit, PRODUCTION MANAGER: Kévin Neel, Peter Brown, LEAD UNITY DEVELOPER: Jeel Patel, HEAD OF DESIGN & MODELING: Richie Jegen, UNITY DEVELOPER: Chad Yu, Chris Schroeder, 3D ARTIST: Noah Soyer, JK;P, Margot Vignon,  Léa Gloden Micaela Asipenka Fonseca, HEAD OF ANIMATION: Remy Nickels, ANIMATOR: Alexander Coast, Micaela Asipenka Fonseca, UX DESIGN: Chris Schroeder, Richie Jegen, Lennart Nacke, 2D DESIGN: Maïté Cayuelas Colla, Brigitte Nataï

Ascended Intelligence

"Ascended Intelligence" is an emotionally responsive XR experience set in a 2030 Smart City. Where Consensus Gentium, (previous SXSW XR Jury Award award winner) revealed the pressure of being watched, this work explores what happens when the system begins to listen. Participants use their voice—tone, breath, and presence—to shape a branching cinematic journey in real time. As control gives way to reflection, AI shifts from directing behavior to mirroring the human. The experience offers a lived prototype for futures beyond extractive technology, where agency, authorship, and inner sovereignty become the true intelligence in the system.

Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom

A.I. Innovation & Commercial Director: Nigel Guy, Principle Creative Technologist: Piotr Nierobisz (Munchingsquare), Touch Designer programmer: Brittney Allen, A.I. Artist: Asiko, Data Set Lead (Brunel University): Professor Hongying Meng, xPython developer (Brunel University): Mohammed Almuhaydib, Data model & Python developers: Jayzenai Intelligent Solutions Muhammad Zeeshan, Usamah & Team

loss·y

"loss·y" presents three split-seconds of a motion-captured female-female pas de deux: each moment is suspended in a vignette that overlaps projection and 3D prints encapsulating the dance in sculpture, with spoken-word poetry and spatial sound design. The installation’s audioscapes blend cold technical facts, accounts of digital dysmorphia and surveillance, and computer-generated sampling, creating an elegy to the vital body that is at once human and digital.

On its surface a critique of today’s techno-society, "loss·y" collusively takes up digital reduction and surveillance as creative media, revealing reverence for the uncanny wonder that pulls us forward into our new, hybridized world.

Clémence Debaig / Unwired Dance Theatre (Spatial Audio System)

Choreography, Performance: Françoise Voranger, Andrea Nikki Ortiz / Hybrid Movement Company, Dramaturg, Voice: Emily Reilly, Visual Effects: Sneha Belkale, Unreal Engine Development: Sneha Belkale, Lisa Jamhoury, Matt Romein, Poetry, Motion Capture Technician, Animation: Lisa Jamhoury, 3D Modeling, Photogrammetry: NYCAP3D, Woraya Boonyapanachoti, Guðjón Örn Lárusson,
Lisa Jamhoury, Huascar Acosta, Neil Jakeman, Technical Production: Lisa Jamhoury, Dan Ribaudo, Astro Lee, Producer: Maia Sauer, Special Thanks: loss·y is part of the Future Art and Culture programme at SXSW produced by British Underground and Arts Council England with partnership support from the British Council. loss·y at SXSW is generously supported by British Underground. This work series has been made possible by King's Culture London, NEW INC / New Museum, Onassis ONX, EY Global Intelligent Realities Lab, Media Art Xploration, and OptiTrack.

A Deception of Senses

"A Deception of Senses" is a narrative experience exploring humanity’s enduring fascination with the deception of perception as a gateway to alternate understandings of reality. Beginning in AR with subtle shifts in the user’s space, it moves into VR where a narrative presence—born of the synthetic world—guides us through playful and poetic twists. Historical objects appear not as relics but as narrative devices, embodied and animated to reveal how easily perception can be led astray. The experience culminates in an abstract, generative environment where forms and sounds evolve in real time. Neither game nor film, it invites visitors not to win or solve, but to look, listen, and simply be.

Production Art Director: Silvia Falcone, 3D Graphic Specialist: Franco Raineri, 3D Artist - Mimetic Objects: Federico Lucifora, Swift Developer: Jaques André Kerambrun, Generative Systems Software Engineer: Matt Pfeiffer, Developer & Technical Design Research: Abdurrahman Furkan Balci, Video & Motion Designer: Alessandro Tortelli, Scientific Advisor: Prof. Marco Bertamini, XR Production Liaison: Agnese Pietrobon

Inter(mediate) Spaces

"Inter(mediate) Spaces" is a modular program and mixed-reality installation asking how AI might be repurposed toward care and connection in an age of disconnection. Two participants begin at opposite ends of a shared room and move through spaces where physical objects remain visible alongside a shifting virtual layer. Conversation and proximity reshape what unfolds as they navigate a living archive built from Living Lab contributions—paired audio interviews, images, and reflections—before meeting in the center.

Lead XR & AI Developer, Key Collaborator: Lucas Martinic, NYC Community Producer & Production Coordinator: Megan Hattie Stahl, Montreal Living Lab Facilitator & Production Coordinator: Kiru Mehari, Additional VFX: Vladamir Storm, Partnership & Outreach Coordinator: Danielle Giroux, AI Advisor: Daniel Duckworth, AI Advisor: Louis Knight, : Co-created with Living Lab participants in Berlin, NYC and Montreal.

Watsonville

Step into the worn-out sneakers of a child growing up in the forgotten edges of 1990s Watsonville -  teetering on the cusp of Silicon Valley's transformation. In this immersive VR horror experience, memory becomes a maze, and the everyday is laced with the surreal. Haunted by generational echoes, unseen fears, and the slow erosion of place and identity, you'll navigate a world where the monsters are as much in your home as they are in your imagination.
Watsonville isn’t just a horror game—it’s a deeply personal descent into the borderlands of childhood, culture, and the ghosts we inherit.

Lionia Is Leaving

"Lionia Is Leaving" is a mixed-reality immersive drama based on the true story of Lionia, a retired engineer from Okhtyrka, Ukraine, who survived the bombing of his home. The tale unfolds through photogrammetric fragments of a Ukrainian house, where characters appear only as animated shadows and voices. Navigating the space reveals scenes from before and at the invasion’s start—family dinners, hurried packing, breaking news, a neighbor at the window. In a pivotal interaction, you try to move stubborn Lionya from his sofa to avert the inevitable. After the strike, pulled from the ruins, he stands in the snowy night and calls his family, offering fragile hope as he realizes what truly matters.

Tamas Bohacs
Maria Markarian
Adam Peleskei

Lisa Barnes, Todd Lawson, Alessandra Fanelli, David Walters, Holli Harmes

Art Director: Vartan Markarian, Lead Unity Developer: Peter Panyik, Unity Developer: Jan Mikulas Zigo, Sound Designer: Maria Markarian, Voiceover Cast: Lisa Barnes

The Baby Factory is Closed

TBFIC is a 20 minute single-player immersive VR experience that places users inside the body of Zoraan, a British-born Sikh woman navigating menopause amidst climate collapse and the ruins of colonial medicine.

You breathe with her. You scream with her. You dance your way out of sedation.

Blending real-time visuals, bio-haptic feedback and diasporic sound, this work reframes menopause not as decline but as volatile power; closing ‘The Baby Factory’ to ignite a cultural revolution.

Using gesture, voice and biometric feedback, audiences become co-conspirators in a volatile act of embodied rebellion. This is not a metaphor. This is an insurgency.

Line Producer: Sinéad Burns, Concept Artist: Dermott Burns, Technical Director: Eoin McCartan-Peel, Technical Artist: Joshua McAvoy, 3D Generalist: Matthew Shannon, Motion Capture Technician: Robbie Coey, Motion Capture Technician: Dónal Philips

Fabula Rasa: Dead Man Talking

English, French, Portuguese, Spanish; Castilian with English Subtitles

You’re imprisoned in a cage at the center of a medieval town, moments from being dropped into the monster pit for your alleged crimes. The King will arrive at any moment to pass judgment, but what crime have you committed, anyway? Well... that is up to you. Your backstory, your sins, your secrets. Every detail is shaped by your imagination.
The townsfolk circle around, buzzing with curiosity and absurd demands. From the lovestruck executioner to the knight carrying a terrible burden, each character wants something from you. All you can do is try to sway them, hoping they’ll plead your case to the king. And because no two players say the same things, no two journeys ever unfold the same.

Ricardo Justus
Rodrigo Terra
Edouard de Montmort

Gameplay Engineer: João Lucas Amorim, Otavio Ludwig, UX/UI Designer: Rafael Marquetto, Aline Rocha, 3D Artist: Vitória Lucatto, Cleber Marques, Mariana Andrello, Natasha Valente, Cintia Maximiano, Victor Kuroiwa, Vinicius Velo, Animation: Evelly Holmes, Tamires Garcia, Tech Art: André Luz, Game Design: Leonardo Dantas, QA: Juliana Rosa, Kleber Pessoa, Mirella Ernica

Frustrain: Trainman

Trainman is a first-person anti-utopian adventure set entirely aboard a surreal Eastern European night train. Trapped in his carriage for decades, a weary conductor relives a single crime he once chose to ignore. As the train stretches into an endless labyrinth, the player explores shifting spaces, scavenges, solves environmental puzzles, and uncovers fragmented memories that blur dream and reality. The experience follows the logic of fear itself — a looping, uneasy journey through guilt, survival, and distorted time.

Pavel Pavlyukov
Anna Pimen
Kirill Komarov

Developer: Oleg Radchenko, Developer: Pavel Matskevich, Developer: Dmitry Vorobev, Developer: Nikola Milosevic, Line producer: Pavel Lukashevich, Line producer: Mitya Sorkin, UI / UX: Kirill Egorov, Line producer: Djordje Djordjic, 3D Artist: Anna Pavlyukova

Historical speeches that shaped our world—MLK, JFK, Emma Goldman, Mandela—remain frozen in grainy footage and fading photographs. They're housed away, rarely seen, diﬃcult to relate to. But what if AI could help us embody history rather than just observe it? What if you could stand where they stood, speak their words, and feel the weight of that moment? This installation makes history personal, visceral, and urgent. It transforms archives from artifacts into living experiences.

Elisha Karmitz
Avi Amar
S.Mitra Kalita
Fredrick Frizell

Prashast Thapan
Nishant Mohanchandra
John Clendenen
Yuval Shapira
Wilson Brown
Gabo Arora

Co-creator and Technical Director: Prashast Thapan, AI Software Engineer: Nishant Mohanchandra, Archival Producer: Yuval Shapira, Creative Advisor : Barry Pousman

Cycle

Our collaboration explores how VR can reveal the patterns and cycles in our lives. By merging performative and visual arts, we address the universal looping of time, bodies and lives. With dance at its core, "Cycle" invites the audience to sense their own life cycles and their connection to cosmic rhythms. Through virtual production we created an endless space that magnifies daily cycles, death and birth, encouraging visitors to ask: how do you shape your life cycle?

VR Design: Iris Fernandes, VR Design: Matunda Groenendijk, Interaction Developer: Roy Bomhof, Distribution Manager: Nienke Huitenga Broeren, VR Assistant: Storm Bosten, VR design & development advice: Demian Albers


Celebrating exciting, out-of-the-box ways artists are using technology to bring their art to life.


Vicky Jewson

British writer and director, Vicky Jewson has quickly gained recognition for captivating audiences with compelling female narratives told through a modern and commercial lens.

An action-packed thriller where five ballerinas, stranded in a remote forest, take shelter at an unsettling roadside inn. They must weaponize years of brutal training, turning grace, discipline, and even pointe shoes into tools for survival.

Pretty Lethal

Kelly McCormick
Mike Karz
William Bindley
Piers Tempest

Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler, Uma Thurman


Marq Evans

Marq Evans is an award-winning independent filmmaker. His most recent documentary, "The Diamond King," premiered at the 36th Palm Springs International FF in January 2025 where it won “Best of Fest.” His previous film, "Claydream," premiered at the 2021 Tribeca FF and was named one of the top 10 documentaries of 2022 by The A.V. Club.

Alamo Lamar 9

Your Attention Please

Health/Disability/Illness
Politics
Technology
Social Issue

Time and Water

Archival Materials Courtesy of Andri Snær Magnason

On October 20, 1967, Roger Patterson captured 59 seconds of film showing a creature walking through the Northern California woods—footage that became the most analyzed and debated in history. Fifty-seven years later, a reel of 16mm film discovered in a safe changes everything.

"Capturing Bigfoot" reveals the untold story behind the world's greatest mystery, told for the first time by Patterson's own son and the people who were there.

This is a story about family legacy, broken friendships, and belief itself.

Capturing Bigfoot

A reel of 16mm film locked away for over 50 years turns the Bigfoot debate on its head.

Douglas Hamm
Lara Hamm
Nate Bolotin
Aram Tertzakian

Clint Patterson, Bob Gimlin, Bob Heironimus, Larry Lund, Greg Long, Vaile Thompson, Sandy Collier, Bill Munns, Teresa Brooks, Jeff Meldrum

Consulting Producer: Alana Saad, Post Production Supervisor: Alana Saad, Graphics & Animations: Dalan McNabola, Co-Producer: Angela McCaw Evans, Assistant Editor: Andrew Wright, Additional Editing: Yakima, Camera Operator: Erik Wallen, Camera Operator: Gregg Frost, Music Supervisor: Kevin Moyer, Associate Producer: Jake Magalsky


Doug Blush

Doug Blush is an award-winning director, producer, editor, writer and cinematographer whose work includes over 300 feature and television projects. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) and the American Cinema Editors (ACE). Credits include, as Executive Producer, "Like A Rolling Stone: The Life And Times Of Ben Fong Torres" (2021), the Critic’s Choice and Peabody Award-winning (Mr. Soul! (2020), as well as a number of Academy Award-winning documentaries: "The Elephant Whisperers" (2023), "Period.End Of Sentence"(2019), "Icarus" (2018), and, as supervising editor "20 Feet From Stardom" (2013).

He is also a longtime film educator with classes and seminars at USC, UCLA, Syracuse University and the YoungArts Foundation, as well as exchanges and panels in Indonesia, Poland, Brazil, New Zealand, Armenia, Malaysia, Nigeria, China, Latvia, The Netherlands and more.

Doug co-owns MadPix, a Los Angeles-based production and post- production company.

Piero F. Giunti

Piero F. Giunti is an award-winning Los Angeles–based photographer, filmmaker, and curator whose work sits at the intersection of music, community, and global cultural storytelling. Over the last decade, he has devoted his life’s work to preserving the voices and images of the artists who shaped Los Angeles through A Great Day in East LA®, the largest oral history and portrait project ever created about the musicians of Los Angeles. As a photographer, his lens has captured and collaborated with a wide range of influential international artists, including Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Tom Morello, Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against the Machine), The Black-Eyed Peas, ZZTop, Becky G, Los Tigres del Norte, Los Tucanes de Tijuana and Caifanes. His photographs have been published internationally in outlets including Vogue, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and SPIN.He has served as Los Lobos' official photographer and videographer for the past eight years.

Rollins Theatre at the Long Center

Cornbread Mafia

Addiction/Recovery
Legal
Senior/Aging
Social Issue

Action
Biography
Comedy
Crime
Documentary

African American
Books/Literary
Celebrity

Phoenix Jones: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero

"Los Lobos Native Sons" is the definitive, authorized chronicle of one of America’s most enduring, genre-defying bands. Tracing Los Lobos’ rise from East L.A. streets to global acclaim, the film offers unprecedented access to their archives and an intimate look at the brotherhood driving their journey. Through electrifying performances and candid interviews—with Linda Ronstadt, Rubén Blades, Tom Waits, Dolores Huerta, Danny Elfman, Jackson Browne, Cheech Marin, Edward James Olmos, Peter Frampton, George Lopez, Bonnie Raitt, and more, the film celebrates their legacy as cultural trailblazers blending rock, roots, and Mexican traditions into a sound uniquely their own.

Los Lobos Native Sons

"Los Lobos Native Sons" is the definitive chronicle of the global Latin rock ’n’ roll legends Los Lobos, offering an unparalleled 50-year musical journey through exclusive access to the band’s personal archives and extraordinary legacy

Castulo de la Rocha
Domingo Garcia
John Echeveste
Hanna Bolte

Robert Corsini
Doug Blush
Piero F. Giunti
Rafael Agustin
Flavio Morales
Patricia Harris DiLeva

Cesar Rosas, Louie Perez, David Hidalgo, Conrad Lozano, Steve Berlin, Linda Ronstadt, Tom Waits, George Lopez, Cheech Marin, Danny Elfman

Associate Producer: Sarah  Suverkrup Mundy, Associate Producer: Vincent De Stefano, Co-Executive Producer: Anthony Small


African
African American
Austin
Education
Environment
Food
Legal
Politics
Social Issues
Texas
Social Issue

MIT Open Documentary Lab’s AR and Public Space Artist Collective

The MIT OpenDocLab’s AR and Public Space Artist Collective is engaging in an ongoing inquiry using artistic research methodologies to explore how digital augmentation can reshape our understanding of place and build bridges between people and communities.

Congressional Ballroom

SXSW Expo: XR Experience

XR Experience 2025 - Photo by Aaron Rogosin

#layersofplace #MIT #OpenDocLab #AR #XR #augmentedreality #documentary #immersive #nonfiction #PublicSpace #Oryza #HumbleMonuments #PaperBoat #FoundersPillars #MovingMemory

Through a co-creative process with the community, Austin transforms into a platform for multidimensional, pluralistic inquiry, delving into themes such as racial justice, historical memory, memorialization, environmental stewardship, and the impact of technology on civic life. The importance of plurality is central, presenting six perspectives on different concepts and viewpoints. In a world that is increasingly polarized and lacking in nuanced perspectives, Layers of Place emphasizes the collective experience. By expanding “public space” to include both the tangible environment and the virtual layers accessible through AR, we create a new form of communal experience.

Layers of Place: Austin

Layers of Place encourages exploration of often unseen dimensions of Austin’s public spaces—changing our relationship to place and each other through a co-created collection of six location-based AR experiences.

Sarah Wolozin
MIT Open Documentary Lab
Agog: The Immersive Media Institute

Akmyrat Tuyliyev (MIT OpenDocLab Producer)


Lori Landay

Lori Landay, Ph.D. is professor of cultural studies, new media, and visual culture at Berklee College of Music, Boston. An interdisciplinary artist-scholar, she explores image, movement, and sound via live performance and XR. As an MIT Open Doc Lab Fellow (2022-24), she fused motion and emotion in "Moving Realities."

Move between memories. Moving Memory uses AR to enhance how New Public Art’s interactive artwork Kempelen’s Owls makes a place to bridge the relationships between nature and technology, geometric and organic, clandestine and open, seen and hidden.
When you enter the space between Kemplen’s Owls and begin the AR experience, you hear music and see playful, colorful animated figures performing motion-captured choreography, and tiny sparkling streams of symbols: dodecahedrons, leaves, owls, and gears. Mirror or respond to the choreography of the avatars in poses or dance, and take photos with them in the app. If you discover the secret, you may feel seen indeed. What do you intend to remember?

Moving Memory

An AR experience bridging memory, nature, and technology through layered public art ft. Kempelen's Owls.

Choreography: Lori Landay, Dancers: Hannah Bilodeau, Kanella Benavides, Kate Warner, Alissa Cardone


Free JonnyPops Samples - A Better Pop for a Better World!

Stop by the JonnyPops tent to enjoy the simple ingredients, delicious taste and kindness in every pop! Free pops and swag will be distributed each day.

https://www.jonnypops.com/

FREE JONNYPOPS SAMPLES - A BETTER POP FOR A BETTER WORLD!

JonnyPops

We're traveling around the country sharing Kindness and delicious pops everywhere we go! Stop by the JonnyPops tent for a free sample of our delicious pops, which are organic, made with simple ingredients and no artificial dyes!


SXSW Expo: XR Experience

Virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality technologies are finding new ways to enhance our ability to perceive the world that surrounds us and redefining how we experience it. The projects presented in our XR Experience emphasize storytelling and art in the immersive world. Come immerse yourself in the most creative minds of the world at the SXSW XR Experience.


The Verdadero 360 Tequila Experience

The Verdadero 360 Tequila Experience is a 21+ tasting and education experience designed to let guests experience the Spirit For More. Guests sample different expressions while learning about agave, craftsmanship, and what sets Verdadero apart. The experience encourages curiosity, conversation, and connection. A 360 photo booth allows guests to capture and share the moment.
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Check us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verdaderotequila/
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Verdadero Tequila

Born in Austin and crafted in Jalisco, Verdadero is an ultra-premium, clean tequila made from 100% Blue Weber agave sourced from both the highlands and lowlands for natural balance and depth. The lineup includes a crisp Blanco, a smooth oak-aged Reposado, and a refined Añejo, each designed to be savored, shared, and enjoyed with intention. Verdadero is tequila for quality enjoyment, meaningful moments, and living well.


Congress Avenue Block Party

The Congress Avenue Block Party (formerly known as the Registrant Lounge) is the go-to space for all SXSW attendees to maximize their SX experience, offering daily complimentary drinks, food, and sponsor swag. Open throughout the conferences & festivals, this convenient and relaxing meeting point near the hub of SXSW action is an ideal spot to unwind and connect with other attendees. New for 2026, the Block Party is free and open to the public!

TooFar Media

World Premiere of Xiphactinus – An Immersive Storyworld Experience!

TooFar Media is an award-winning Arts Technology company, based in Silicon Valley, that creates Immersive Storyworlds, which combine Book, Music, Art, Animation and Film, to reimagine how stories are told and experienced.

Step inside TooFar Media’s Immersive Portal Experience @ Creative Industries Expo, and at TooFar Media’s PopUp @ Congress Ave Block Party, and discover the world premiere of Xiphactinus!

Plus, download the FREE TooFar Media app!


My/Mochi, the original and world's largest mochi ice cream brand, is inviting SXSW-goers to Taste the Joy! Our delightfully delicious ice cream wrapped in pillowy sweet rice dough comes in more than 20 flavors like Cookie Dough, Strawberry and Mango. So stop by our Joyfully Chill Ice Cream Shoppe at the Congress Ave Block Party Mar 12-18 to experience the joy for yourself!

MY/MOCHI JOYFULLY CHILL ICE CREAM SHOPPE

My/Mochi

Treat Yourself to a Taste of Joy at the My/Mochi Joyfully Chill Ice Cream Shoppe!

My/Mochi is the original and world's largest mochi ice cream brand - and we are inviting SXSW-goers to Taste the Joy! Our delightfully delicious ice cream wrapped in pillowy sweet rice dough comes in more than 20 flavors like Cookie Dough, Strawberry and Mango (and all are gluten free, nut free and 90 calories or less!). So stop by our Joyfully Chill Ice Cream Shoppe at the Congress Ave Block Party Mar 12-18 to experience the joy for yourself!


The Painterland Sisters' Yogurt Farm Stand

Step into the Painterland Sisters' Yogurt Farm Stand to sample our organic skyr yogurt and for hands-on farm education. Learn what organic regenerative farming really means, explore sensory elements from the farm, and taste some simply yummy skyr yogurt packed with probiotics and protein. Straight from the pasture to your spoon - made with love!

Painterland Sisters

Making a difference, one cup of skyr at a time!

Painterland Sisters is a woman-, family-, and farmer-owned organic skyr yogurt brand on a mission to connect consumers with the source of their food and restore the health of the land, people, and communities through organic regenerative agriculture. Their simply yummy, nutrient-dense yogurt is made with milk from their farm and other farms like it in the area, supporting American farmers in every cup.


New Mexio House

The New Mexico House is taking over The Courtyard ATX for a full-day immersive activation showcasing the intersection of our deep cultural roots, unique film and tech ecosystem.


Education
Indigenous Culture
International
Latino
Social Issues
Children
Developing World
Social Issue
Youth/Teen

Frank Pavich

Frank directed "N.Y.H.C." (1999), on New York's hardcore music scene. He co-produced "Die, Mommie, Die!," winner of Sundance’s 2003 Special Jury Prize. His "Jodorowsky’s Dune" (2013) premiered at Cannes Quinzaine and was nominated for Golden Camera. The film received numerous prizes and acclaim.

Benjamin de Menil

Agridulce is de Menil's first feature film. He has for more than 25 years produced music recordings, videos, live tours, and educational materials related to Dominican music and dance. In 2013, he founded La Academia de Bachata, the world's first music school dedicated to bachata.

Alamo Lamar 8

Dead Deer High

Education
Social Issues
The Arts/Theater
Youth/Teen

In the Dominican town of Cabarete, bachata is a way of life far from the dance halls that it occupies overseas. A snapshot of four children, each confronting an existential challenge, Agridulce shows how music guides their journey of self discovery. With five years of filming, director Frank Pavich (Jodorowsky’s Dune) captures pivotal moments of the children’s coming of age.

Generations collide, and the children struggle for balance in a world troubled by conflict. Along the way, they’re mentored by teachers of a school devoted to bachata, the once denigrated music that has become the Dominican Republic’s primary cultural export.

Agridulce (Bittersweet)

Spanish; Castilian with English Subtitles

An intimate portrait of four children coming of age and the role of music in their journey. The children tell their stories through Bachata, a once proscribed music that has become the Dominican Republic’s primary cultural export.

United States of America
Dominican Republic

Jose Villa Castillo
Yerian Castillo
Frandy Direze
Orianny Bonilla

Edickson Garcia Disla, Frandy Direze, Orianny Bonilla, Yerian Castillo, Carmen Bonilla, Enrique Garcia Zapata, Jose Villa Castillo, Michiline Julien, Nativida Disla, Martires de Leon

Editor: Pablo Chea, Project Advisor: Sonia Herman Dolz, Production Sound: Oscar Chabebe, Asociate Producer: Vivien Wu, Co-Producer: Laura Amelia Guzman, Co-Producer: Israel Cardenas