Venice Immersive, where history and innovation become one
A meeting point between art, technology, and immersive imagination
The Venice International Film Festival does not take place exclusively in the Lido area that hosts the Palazzo del Cinema and the Hotel Excelsior, but also extends to other strategic locations on the island.
Among these stands out Venice Immersive, the Extended Reality section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival of La Biennale di Venezia, entirely dedicated to immersive arts and media. A program embracing all forms of XR creative expression: immersive videos, virtual and mixed reality, virtual worlds, XR installations, and interactive projects.
At the heart of this experience is the Venice Immersive Island, the Lazzaretto Vecchio, located opposite the Riva di Corinto. Here comes to life the 2025 selection, composed of 69 projects from 27 countries: 30 in competition, 34 in the Best of Immersive section, and 5 within Biennale College Cinema – Immersive.
An island with a surprising history, once again transforming itself. The Lazzaretto Vecchio, the first lazaret in the world, was a bulwark against plague epidemics, a place of isolation but also of care and hope. After its military decommissioning, it endured a long period of abandonment: after the war it became a shelter for stray dogs. Only in 2000 was a restoration project launched, entrusted to architect Antonio Foscari, known for his sensitivity to Venice’s historical contexts.
Today that ancient place of suffering and memory reinvents itself as a crossroads between art, technology, and contemporary culture, opening its doors to the new frontiers of immersive imagination.
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