Admission to the event is free of charge; however, capacity is limited. The panel discussions will be conducted in English.
THURSDAY
09.10
Ujazdowski Castle Center for Contemporary Art
10:00 – 18:00
Anna Szylar
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Local challenges from a global perspective
What does the Polish industry need today to grow?
10
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09
Czwartek
Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski
10:00
15 min
Local challenges from a global perspective
What does the Polish industry need today to grow?
Ever wondered what truly drives – or stalls – Polish industry growth? And how does our local scene stack up against the global playing field? What do we really need to thrive? For over a decade, Anna Szylar, the visionary behind Digital Cultures Festival, has been supporting creators and collaborating with institutions across the globe. Now, as she opens this year's festival, she's ready to unpack her unique perspective. Looking back at her experience, Anna will kick off the festival giving an overview of what we can expect from this year's edition.
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Anna Szylar
Curator and digital culture expert with a strong track record in producing and distributing impactful immersive experiences, including her involvement in the production of the award‑winning Gymnasia VR (Felix & Paul Studios, Clyde Hendy Productions, PHI Center) and Messages to the Post-Human Earth (Anagram). Anna is a founder of Monster Mind Studio and her comprehensive production services span from concept to execution, securing funding, and international team coordination. Monster Mind Studio explores future narratives, focusing on XR & AI, and champions Polish digital art globally. This holistic approach extends beyond production into shaping the cultural landscape itself. Anna, Monster Mind Studio’s founder is a trusted strategic mind behind major industry events, lending her vision to the programming of festivals, such as led by her since 2018 Digital Cultures or IDFA DocLab, where she serves as a Program Advisor. Her curatorial expertise brings cutting-edge XR and digital art to wider audiences through high-profile exhibitions, from the MDAG Vision (2025) to the internationally recognized "Ground Control" showcase in Venice (2023).
José Luis de Vicente
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Culture as a laboratory
On designing spaces for art, technology and social change
10
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09
Czwartek
Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski
10:15
30 min
Culture as a laboratory
On designing spaces for art, technology and social change
In an era of rapid change, what is the true role of a cultural institution? Can a festival be more than just a temporary event? Join José Luis de Vicente—one of Europe’s most influential curators and the visionary force behind iconic platforms like Sónar+D—for a deep dive into the art of building cultural ecosystems. Drawing on decades of experience directing pioneering festivals that bridge art, technology, social innovation, and critical thought, de Vicente will share his roadmap for creating lasting, influential platforms. This talk will explore the essential strategies for fostering collaboration between disparate worlds, turning cultural spaces into laboratories for new ideas, and proving why art and creativity are indispensable in navigating our complex present. Expect a compelling journey filled with insights from internationally acclaimed projects, offering a powerful vision for the future of cultural leadership.
José Luis de Vicente
José Luis de Vicente is a curator, cultural researcher and artistic director based In Barcelona and working internationally. His work explores the space between social innovation, new ecological practices and the aesthetics and politics of computation. He is, along with Eva Franch I Gilabert, the cofounder and principal of FAST, a transdisciplinary curatorial platform and design lab dedicated to addressing current and future challenges through the convergence of culture, technology, architecture, and design. Previously De Vicente was director of DHUB, Barcelona’s Design Museum, for Design, and founder and artistic director of Sónar+D, the culture and arts program of the acclaimed Sónar Festival. He was cofounder and codirector of MODEL, Barcelona’s festival of Architectures, and Tentacular, a festival of Critical Technologies and Digital Adventures in Matadero (Madrid). He has been curator of FutureEverything Festival (Manchester) and LlumBCN, Barcelona’s festival of Light Arts. He also initiated and directed the Visualizar Program on Data Culture at Madrid’s pioneering citizen lab, Medialab Prado.
Navid Khonsari
Paweł Schreiber
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Embodying history
The player as witness and participant in iNK Stories worlds
10
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09
Czwartek
Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski
10:45
45 min
Embodying history
The player as witness and participant in iNK Stories worlds
What is the player's role when they step into a world based on true historical events? Are they merely an observer, or do they become an active participant—even a witness to history? Join us for a unique conversation with Navid Khonsari, the co-founder of the legendary studio iNK Stories and creator of groundbreaking titles like the BAFTA-nominated 1979 Revolution: Black Friday. In a conversation with esteemed games critic Paweł Schreiber, Navid Khonsari will take us behind the scenes of his creative process. He will reveal how to transform archives and personal testimonies into interactive narratives that place the player at the heart of pivotal historical moments. This will be a deep discussion on the responsibility of the creator, the power of empathy, and the unique ability of games to transform the past into a living, personal experience. Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to create worlds that not only entertain but also provoke thought and remain in memory long after the game is over.
Navid Khonsari
Founder and creative director of iNK Stories, Navid Khonsari is known for the cinematic look and feel for iconic game franchises such as Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, The Warriors, Alan Wake, Home Front and the highest grossing VR game to date, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Visionary creator of 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, Khonsari’s work has garnered top honors from institutions such as BAFTA, Sundance, Tribeca, UNESCO, Academy of Interactive Arts &Sciences (DICE), International Mobile Game Awards, IndieCade Grand Jury Award, plus Facebook’s Game of the Year. Recent releases include Fire Escape: An Interactive VR Series that debuted at Tribeca Film Festival and Hero (a VR multi-sensory experience) and winner of the Tribeca Film Festival Storyscapes Award. Khonsari is impassioned by the possibilities of a new wave of immersive entertainment. His latest project Lili was presented at the Cannes Festival 2025.
Paweł Schreiber
Assistant professor in the English Department at the Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, where he specialises in contemporary British drama. He is a theatre critic writing for major Polish theatre journals and co-author of the blog Jawne Sny, which discusses questions of video games and their relationship to other branches of culture. He has written on games for publications including Przekrój, dwutygodnik.com and PIXELMagazine.
Irena Taskovski
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The art of global strategy
How to consciously build international success for an XR project?
10
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09
Czwartek
Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski
11:30
30 min
The art of global strategy
How to consciously build international success for an XR project?
Join Irena Taskovski, the acclaimed founder and CEO of the world-renowned sales and production company Taskovski Films, for an essential industry session on international strategy. Drawing from her extensive experience as a producer, sales agent, and Head Tutor for Ji.hlava's Emerging Producers, Irena will demystify the process of taking creative projects global. This talk will provide a practical roadmap for creators, covering the power of international collaboration, offering strategic advice on selecting the right film markets at every project stage, and breaking down the real-world advantages and challenges of international co-productions in the immersive VR landscape.
Irena Taskovski
Irena Taskovski, CEO and founder of Taskovski Films and the #DocsConnect Conscious Filmmaking Training Program, is an award-winning producer and distributor with over two decades of experience. She has mentored, consulted, and provided expertise in marketing, sales, financing, and impact distribution for numerous film institutions, including Sunny Side of the Doc, HBO Europe, TRT World, the Asian Cinema Fund, dok.incubator, Sources Germany, and Emerging Producers at Ji.hlava IDFF. She is the mother of a 10-year-old son, a certified 5Rhythms mindfulness-in-motion and movement facilitator and coach, supporting personal and professional growth for film industry professionals. Irena is also a passionate activist for the environment, peace, and human unity, and serves as a mental health ambassador for those working in the film industry.
10
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09
Czwartek
Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski
12:00
30 min
Lunch break
Get some food and don't forget to take a fortune cookie!
Lunch
x
10
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09
Czwartek
Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski
12:30
60 min
Best of Poland I
Get ready to discover the most inspiring Polish digital projects, which are currently being developed!
Institutions
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10
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09
Czwartek
Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski
13:30
45 min
In pursuit of success:
How to Send a VR Project on a World Tour
In the immersive arts, a festival premiere is often seen as the finish line. For veteran producer and curator Dan Tucker, it’s merely the starting point. But how do you navigate the treacherous road from initial acclaim to a sustainable, revenue-generating international tour? And what does your project need to possess to even get noticed in the first place? Drawing on a career that has placed him at the epicentre of the immersive industry, Dan Tucker offers a rare and invaluable 360-degree perspective. As the former curator of the world-renowned Alternate Realities programme at Sheffield Doc/Fest, he shaped global trends and selected the most innovative projects of our time. As the Executive Producer of East City Films' In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats, he cracked the code to successfully touring a complex, location-based VR experience to audiences worldwide.
Dan Tucker
Dan Tucker is the Executive Producer of Exhibitions and Touring at East City Films, where he leads the presentation of In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats and the studio’s immersive portfolio at festivals, galleries, theatres, and music venues worldwide. An award-winning digital producer and curator, Dan brings over 25 years of experience across broadcasting, digital media, startups, and the arts. Passionate about interaction and storytelling, he works at the intersection of multiple screen industries, from television documentaries to cutting-edge virtual reality experiences. His diverse portfolio spans acclaimed TV productions like Charlie Brooker’s How Videogames Changed the World and groundbreaking digital projects such as the interactive drama Our World War and the VR documentary Easter Rising: Voice of a Rebel for the BBC. As Curator of Alternate Realities for Sheffield International Documentary Festival, Dan curated a global touring exhibition of digital art and documentary, showcasing immersive works from The Guardian, Greenpeace, BBC, and the National Film Board of Canada. More recently, Dan has held key roles as a Commissioning Executive for BBC Arts and Arts Council England’s New Creatives, Head of Partnerships for Mediale, and a VR Researcher for the BFI. At East City Films, he continues to champion innovative immersive storytelling, bringing powerful experiences to audiences around the world.
10
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09
Czwartek
Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski
14:15
45 min
Co-Creating the Future of XR Distribution
As immersive media rapidly evolves, we face a critical window of opportunity to shape an equitable distribution ecosystem. Join the Independent XR Distribution Coalition, an initiative housed at MIT Open Documentary Lab, for a participatory session on imagining a flourishing immersive field where artists and their work are seen, experienced, and sustained. Led by XR professionals across film, performance, civic design, and games, the Coalition brings together artists and cultural workers in a collaborative research process to shape independent immersive ecosystems. Bridging disciplines and sectors, the Coalition surfaces shared challenges and catalyzes radical alternatives. It approaches distribution as a creative and relational process: one that connects artists, producers, and audiences across entire project lifecycles and supports the long-term sustainability of creative practice. In this session, participants will engage in a call-and-response process that invites them to co-create the future of immersive distribution. The session will also spotlight an active case study exploring libraries as civic infrastructures for XR.
Scarlett Kim
Scarlett Kim is a director and producer innovating the intersection of live performance and immersive technology. A polymath, Scarlett creates participatory experiences that reimagine liveness, drawing from theatre, XR, game, and ritual. As a producer, Scarlett bridges cultural institutions, community ecosystems, and innovative initiatives to champion artists imagining new worlds. Scarlett is Executive Creative Producer of Center for Unclassifiable Technologies & Experiences (C.U.T.E.); Interdisciplinary Fellow at Royal Shakespeare Company; Visiting Artist at Stanford Arts; Co-Founder of Independent XR Distribution Coalition at MIT Open Doc Lab; and Co-Founder/Co-Producer of Worlds in Play, a gathering of game and theatre practitioners. Scarlett serves on the board of Los Angeles Performance Practice, having produced its 10th Live Arts Exchange [LAX] Festival, is a member of The Kilroys, and mentors for NEW INC. Previously, as Director of Innovation & Strategy of Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Scarlett led the transmedia department of the largest repertory theater in the US.
10
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09
Czwartek
Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski
15:00
30 min
Coffee break
Get some coffee and prepare for next panels!
Przerwa
x
10
.
09
Czwartek
Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski
15:30
60 min
Best of Poland II
Get ready to discover the most inspiring Polish digital projects, which are currently being developed!
Creators
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Discussion
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Intersecting worlds of visual arts and video games
Discussion around the If/Then exhibition at the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art
10
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09
Czwartek
Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski
16:30
60 min
Intersecting worlds of visual arts and video games
Discussion around the If/Then exhibition at the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art
Jeśli/To (if/then) gathers artists who recognize that we've entered what might be called the post-narrative condition. Not the end of stories, but their metastasis beyond traditional containers. Stories now exceed their traditional containers—spilling into our peripheral vision, humming beneath conscious thought, generating themselves in the spaces between what we choose and what chooses us. The exhibition makes these invisible narratives visible, tangible, and questionable.
Discussion
CSW Zamek Ujazdowski
10
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09
Czwartek
Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Zamek Ujazdowski
18:00
180 min
Evening Networking at Regina Bar: PRESS PLAY & Unwind!
Join us for an exclusive networking event at the vibrant Regina Bar! This networking event creates an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and continue the inspiring conversations from the day in a relaxed, electrifying atmosphere. Mingle with fellow digital artists, industry leaders, curators, and journalists from around the globe. Share insights, spark new ideas, and forge valuable connections that could shape the future of your projects. Regina Bar, with its fantastic ambiance and refreshing drinks, provides the perfect backdrop for fostering new friendships and partnerships. Don't miss this chance to extend your festival experience, make lasting memories, and maybe even find your next big collaborator. Let's raise a glass to digital cultures and the incredible community we're building! The event is for festival participants only - don’t forget to take your badge!
Networking
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FRIDAY
10.10
Outriders Klub
10:00 – 18:00
Jakub Górnicki
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Journalism in pop-culture
How Art Helps Facts Enter the Public Consciousness
Posłuchaj podcastu10
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10
Piątek
Outriders Klub
10:15
30 min
Journalism in pop-culture
How Art Helps Facts Enter the Public Consciousness
Details coming soon
Mixer
Jakub Górnicki
Jakub Górnicki. Cyfrowy twórca, reporter, współzałożyciel Outriders, nagradzanej organizacji łączącej sztukę, dziennikarstwo i technologię, aby tworzyć historie o globalnych problemach i wydarzeniach. Jakub relacjonował kryzys migracyjny w 2015 r., protesty na Białorusi w 2020 r. i wojnę w Ukrainie. Nadal skupia się na migracji i konflikcie. Laureat Paszportów Polityki, INMA Global Media Awards, Grand Press Digital i nominowany do European Press Prize. Tworzy platformę Mixer, która wspiera media w rejonie Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej. Obecnie pracuje nad nowym projektem poświęconym artystycznemu dziennikarstwu. Od 2024 roku tworzy Outriders Klub. Wcześniej, jako dyrektor operacyjny i członek zarządu Fundacji ePaństwo, rozwinął ją w wiodącą globalną organizację pozarządową zajmującą się otwartymi danymi/transparentnością. Przez sześć lat założył Code for Poland, Open Cities program pomagający europejskim miastom przyjąć zasady otwartych danych, a także Personal Democracy Forum w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej i TransparenCEE. W ramach Sourcefabric wspierał media w Gruzji, Jemenie czy Turcji.
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10
Piątek
Outriders Klub
10:45
45 min
Playing with truth: reportage that happens live
Vanessa Rousselot reveals how reportage can become a live theatrical event, where journalism and performance collide. With Diario Vivo, real stories are brought to the stage, immersing the audience in a narrative that unfolds in real-time—raw, unedited, and impossible to rewind.
Diario Vivo
Vanessa Rousselot
A film director and journalist, she is one of the forces behind Diario Vivo, a unique format of performative journalism where true stories are told live to an audience. Her work merges the raw power of documentary storytelling with the intimacy of theater, creating a space where audiences can connect with stories on a deeply emotional level.
10
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10
Piątek
Outriders Klub
11:30
30 min
Coffee break
Get some coffee and prepare for next panels!
Break
x
Merian Gerde Glas
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Play, Pause, Listen: how Zetland builds relationships with audiences
10
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10
Piątek
Outriders Klub
12:00
45 min
Play, Pause, Listen: how Zetland builds relationships with audiences
Zetland proves that journalism can be more than just consuming content—it can be a communal experience. This panel explores how live events and intimate storytelling transform the relationship between a publication and its audience.
Zetland
Merian Gerde Glas
Merian Garde Gräs is an editor on the political desk at Zetland, the Danish media platform renowned for its in-depth, narrative journalism. She previously hosted "Helikopter," a popular daily news podcast that stood out for its use of dramatic structure, powerful storytelling, and narrative tension—transforming each episode into a mini-audio drama. Her background also includes working as a journalist for DR Nyheder and lecturing in journalism at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU).
10
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10
Piątek
Outriders Klub
12:45
45 min
Hacking Narratives: How to Investigate in a Game-Like World
In an age of post-truth and disinformation, Bellingcat shows how to use open-source tools to reclaim the facts. This session is a deep dive into real-world investigation, where every digital footprint becomes a piece of a larger puzzle. Charley Maher is a researcher with Bellingcat, an international collective of investigative journalists specializing in open-source intelligence (OSINT). Her work focuses on verifying information and uncovering truth in the post-truth era, where any digital trace can be the key to a global investigation.
Bellingcat
Charley Maher
Charlotte is the Social Media Editor at Bellingcat. She is an investigative journalist and previously worked at the BBC, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Seen, among others.
10
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10
Piątek
Outriders Klub
13:30
60 min
Lunch break
Get some food and don't forget to take a fortune cookie!
Break
x
10
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10
Piątek
Outriders Klub
14:30
30 min
Play as Portal: Worldbuilding Through Game, Theatre, and Ritual
How can play be a strategy for subversive worldbuilding? In this talk, director and producer Scarlett Kim dives into the intersection of game and theatre to explore play as a mode of radical imagination. Participatory experiences offer a vital space for practicing agency in an increasingly uncertain and complex world. Just as theatre has long served as a rehearsal room for personal and political transformation, immersive experiences invite us to imagine new relationships, systems, and worlds. Artists are casting audiences as players, inviting them to glitch, rewire and wrestle with dominant culture narratives, rather than passively consume. Through case studies from her practice with her studio, Center for Unclassifiable Technologies & Experiences (C.U.T.E.), Kim will explore how audiences become co-authors in emergent meaning. Beasts is an autofictional live digital puppetry performance that draws from the monsters of Korean folklore (Royal Shakespeare Company, Stanford Arts). Across a physical stage and fantastical virtual environments in Unreal Engine, a live performer and her beastly digital doubles puppeteer one another, shapeshifting to belong. Kim will also delve into A Funeral for the Internet, an immersive theatre production and social ritual powered by an AI platform for collective experiences, created with Samantha Gorman and Danny Cannizzaro (RSC, UCSC LEMI Lab, Tender Claws), and examines how artists are exploring agency through live game formats such as LARPs, Tabletop Roleplaying, and Alternate Reality Games at Worlds in Play, a convening of game and theatre artists.
Scarlett Kim
Scarlett Kim is a director, producer and innovation leader making unclassifiable experiences at the intersection of live performance and immersive technology. Scarlett creates participatory experiences that reimagine liveness, drawing upon theatre, XR, game and ritual. Scarlett is Executive Creative Producer of Center for Unclassifiable Technologies & Experiences (C.U.T.E.); Interdisciplinary Fellow at Royal Shakespeare Company; Visiting Artist at Stanford Arts; Co-Founder of Independent XR Distribution Coalition at MIT Open Doc Lab; and Co-Founder/Co-Producer of Worlds in Play, a gathering of game and theatre practitioners. Scarlett serves on the board of Los Angeles Performance Practice, having produced the 10th edition of its Live Arts Exchange [LAX] Festival. Previously, as Director of Innovation & Strategy of Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Scarlett led the transmedia department of the largest repertory theater in the US.
10
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10
Piątek
Outriders Klub
15:00
30 min
Between game and reality: VR, empathy and violence
Where is the line between immersive simulation and reality? How does VR technology change our perception of empathy, and how can we ethically portray violence in a medium that engages all our senses? Join us for a fascinating conversation between two experts who explore these boundaries daily: Navid Khonsari, a visionary of interactive narrative from iNK Stories, and Jakub Górnicki, co-founder of the journalistic collective Outriders. The starting point for their discussion will be Lili—the latest, highly anticipated project from iNK Stories. This interactive neo-noir, an adaptation of Macbeth, transports us to a world of digital warfare, deep-state surveillance, and hacker networks. How do you design experiences that comment on real-world threats without losing the power of artistic storytelling? Can VR become the most powerful tool for building empathy, or does it risk desensitizing us to violence? This conversation is a unique meeting of the worlds of gaming and journalism—two fields that, now more than ever, need to be in dialogue.
iNK Stories
Navid Khonsari
founder and creative director of iNK Stories, Navid Khonsari is known for the cinematic look and feel for iconic game franchises such as Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, The Warriors, Alan Wake, Home Front and the highest grossing VR game to date, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Visionary creator of 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, Khonsari’s work has garnered top honors from institutions such as BAFTA, Sundance, Tribeca, UNESCO, Academy of Interactive Arts &Sciences (DICE), International Mobile Game Awards, IndieCade Grand Jury Award, plus Facebook’s Game of the Year. Recent releases include Fire Escape: An Interactive VR Series that debuted at Tribeca Film Festival and Hero (a VR multi-sensory experience) and winner of the Tribeca Film Festival Storyscapes Award. Khonsari is impassioned by the possibilities of a new wave of immersive entertainment. His latest project Lili was presented at the Cannes Festival 2025.
10
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10
Piątek
Outriders Klub
15:30
30 min
Coffee break
Time to get some coffee and prepare for next presentations!
Break
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10
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10
Piątek
Outriders Klub
16:00
60 min
Cyber Elf by Magda Szpecht (live performance)
Details coming soon
Magda Szpecht
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