Cannes: ‘March of the Penguins’ Director to Judge Immersive Competition

Oscar-winning documentarian Luc Jacquet (March of the Penguins) will head up the jury of the 2025 immersive competition at this year’s Cannes film festival, judging VR and interactive works in this year’s lineup (see full list below).

Known for his award-winning documentaries, Jacquet has also worked in immersive formats, including with his recent Terra Incognita exhibit, which took visitors on a virtual journey from Patagonia to the South Pole.

Joining Jacquet on the Cannes immersive jury are Japanese video game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi, creator of Rez and Tetris Effect; American artist Laurie Anderson, who premiered her latest multidisciplinary work Ark: United States V in Manchester last year; British director Martha Fiennes, known for pioneering AI-driven film environments; and French author and performer Tania de Montaigne, whose work Noire won the best immersive work award in Cannes last year.

Nine works will compete for the prize for best immersive work, with the winner announced in Cannes on May 22. Among the titles making their world premiere are Lili, a cross-continental production directed by Navid Khonsari and featuring performances by Zar Amir and Navid Negahban; the Spanish-U.S. co-production Fillos do vento: A rapa, from Brais Revalderia and María Fernanda Ordóñez Morla; The Dollhouse from Charlotte Bruneau and Dominic Desjardins; and The Exploding Girl VR from directors Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel.

The selection spans nine countries and includes a mix of virtual reality, mixed reality, and interactive installations. The interactive selection will play in a dedicated space in the Carlton Hotel during the Cannes festival from May 14 to 23.

COMPETITION

Beyond the Vivid Unknown, dirs. John Fitzgerald, Godfrey Reggio
Fillos do vento: A rapa, dirs. Brais Revalderia, María Fernanda Ordóñez Morla
From Dust, dir. Michel van der Aa
In the Current of Being, dir. Cameron Kostopoulos
Lacuna, dirs. Maartje Wegdam, Nienke Huitenga-Broeren
Lili, dir. Navid Khonsari
tAxI, dirs. Yamil Rodriguez, Michael Arcos, Stephen Henderson
The Dollhouse, dirs. Charlotte Bruneau, Dominic Desjardins
The Exploding Girl VR, dirs. Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel

Out of Competition
Chez Moi, dirs. Victoria Yakubova, Frédéric Le Louët
Trailblazer, dir. Eloise Singer

Focus
Battlefield, dir. François Vautier
Ceci est mon coeur, dirs. Nicolas Blies, Stéphane Hueber-Blies
Floating with Spirits, dir. Juanita Onzaga
Ito Meikyu, dir. Boris Labbé
Oto’s Planet, dir. Gwenael François