Villes Flottantes' Floating Cities
Cécile Palusinski and Elsa Mroziewicz
FilmGate Interactive #12 X Villa Albertine
From March 18–22, 2026, the local festival dedicated to immersive storytelling will take place across multiple venues in Miami. This year’s theme, Resonance, explores how story, sound, technology, and human experience interact and amplify one another.
Discover a dynamic selection of French XR projects across the festival’s market, exhibitions, and competition below.
In partnership with UniFrance, the Institut Français, and the CNC, the French Immersion Mobility grant will support a French delegation traveling to Miami, including creators selected for the competition and exhibition. The grant enables French immersive producers and artists to present their work in the United States and foster international collaboration.
The program will also feature a keynote address by Villa Albertine resident Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis, who is conducting research in Jacksonville during his residency. He is currently developing The Goldberg Variations, a hybrid feature film based on his research and collaboration with internet figure Joshua Goldberg. Using AI-generated materials drawn from locations across Florida, his project challenges traditional documentary forms by exploring the intersections of truth, generative technologies, and contemporary digital culture.
Last but not least, this edition will mark the launch of the Villa Albertine Immersive Storytelling Prize. This award was created to recognizes a project presented at Filmgate Interactive Festival that stands out for the strength and originality of its narrative. The award highlights works in which immersive or digital technologies serve a clear artistic vision and a distinctive authorial voice, rather than technological demonstration alone. It aims to support creators whose projects use immersive media to convey meaningful stories, ideas, or perspectives.
The creation of this prize reflects the long-standing partnership between Villa Albertine and Filmgate and marks a new step in strengthening our presence within this key event for the immersive media community. As Villa Albertine’s only prize dedicated to new media and digital creation, launching it at Filmgate also reflects our commitment to supporting innovation in immersive media, while highlighting the distinctive strength of French creators and studios in narrative-driven immersive experiences.