Lithuania’s art, creativity and XR skills are on display at Venice Immersive

Lithuania’s immersive sector is at the forefront of the country’s creative sector growth, bolstered by an expanding pool of pioneering individuals, a strong interest in innovation from the country’s cultural institutions and businesses, and an uptick in international collaboration.

Play Life, produced by Lithuania’s LitlBaz Pictures founder Žilvinas Naujokas, is being showcased as part of this year’s Venice Immersive, the XR – Extended Reality strand of the Venice Film Festival. The creators are attending Venice under the umbrella of the Baltic Film and Creative Tech Cluster.

“It’s particularly meaningful our entry into the Venice festival was driven by innovative technology and dedication to craft a new type of cinematic experience,” says Naujokas. “Our goal is to distribute Play Life as widely as possible on a global scale, across various VR and immersive platforms, we’re also working on an immersive version designed for projection, whether on walls or via LCD screens.”

A virtual reality film and immersive experience, Play Life is based on the paintings of the popular Lithuanian modern artist Algis Kriščiūnas. His paintings are brought to life while the viewer hears unique stories written by the artist himself. Billed as a conversation between a woman and a man about the passing of life, it is a nostalgic story coloured by the artist’s memories and experiences.

Directed by Naujokas with Vilius Petrauskas, Mantas Pronckus, Donatas Ulvydas, Kriščiūnas and Darius Žičkus, Play Life has been created by a large international team of film, computer graphics and animation professionals. 

In 2018, renowned Lithuanian film director, Kristina Buožytė, was selected for Venice’s immersive competition strand with her immersive VR animation Trail Of Angels. After successfully traveling around the world garnering over admisions, it has also just played at the 2024 Burning Man festival in Nevada in the US.

Buožytė’s amination invites the viewer to explore a mysterious afterlife world based on the paintings and music of M.K.Čiurlionis. The team also adapted this experience and opened multisensory immersive space in Vilnius, also preparing to launch the second part of this VR experience next year.

Global platform

Participating in the Venice film festival has provided a unique opportunity to bring Lithuanian art, creativity and XR skills to a global stage.

“In recent years, we have seen significant growth in the immersive sector in Lithuania,” says Agnesta Filatovė, board member at Baltic Film and Creative Tech Cluster and the co-founder of ArtTech Agency Lithuania. “Not only are we witnessing expansion in terms of creative output, but there is also growing support for building a robust ecosystem. This includes the emergence of acceleration programs and new funding opportunities. As we travel and explore this field globally, from the US. to South Korea, it becomes clear how experimental this space still is.

“For Europe to avoid being sidelined, collaboration is key. Co-productions will be essential. Lithuania, with its dynamic and adaptable environment, can serve as the perfect playground for such collaborations.”

The Baltic Film and Creative Tech Cluster is a prime example of how companies operating in smaller markets can come together to offer a complete pipeline for the global market. Having started over a decade ago with a focus on traditional film industry collaborations, the cluster has successfully expanded into the immersive sector. By pooling resources and expertise, these companies are able to remain competitive on an international scale and also push the boundaries of innovation in immersive technologies.

Additionally, the Baltic Film and Creative Tech Cluster is a partner in the HORIZONS R&D project TRANSMIXR, creating XR prototypes for the creative sectors. Consortium comprises 22 organisations from 12 European countries, all pooling knowledge and research into XR and AI and how they can be used best throughout the media, cultural heritage, perfoming arts and other sectors.

Simas Chomentauskas, co-founder of Gluk Media, one of the longest-running immersive companies in the Baltic region and one of the member of the Cluster says - focusing on international markets – largely EU and the Middle East right now – is the priority.

“This is a very fast -changing industry and you have to keep your feet wet all the time,” says Chomentauskas.

He believes Lithuania is one of the best places to do this. “Developing a company in the immersive sector based in Lithuania gives us access to a very talented, hungry, fast growing pool of talent able to create world-class content.”

Following Venice, creatives representing the Baltic Film and Creative Tech Cluster are participating in Design Art Tokyo in October and Immersive Tech Week in Rotterdam in December.

Contact: Kristina Baltrušaitytė, International Project Coordinator, Baltic Film and Creative Tech Cluster