French Immersion Jury Experts

Barbara London 

Writer, Former Associate Curator at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Barbara London is an internationally acclaimed curator, advocate for the arts, and writer with a practice that revolves around media, installation, and sound art produced internationally. Recent projects include the exhibitions Seeing Sound (Independent Curators International, 2020-26); Perpetual Motion, curated for the Perez Museum, Miami, 2024; “Dara Birnbaum,” the Prada Foundation, Milan (2023); the podcast series, “Barbara London Calling,” 2020-2025; and Video Art: The First Fifty Years, (Phaidon, 2020/2024.) London joined the curatorial staff at The Museum of Modern Art in the early 1970s, where she founded the video exhibition and collection programs. While at MoMA, she organized numerous media exhibitions and one-person shows, and led the acquisition of works by such artists as Laurie Anderson, Nam June Paik, Sondra Perry, Zhang Peili, among many others. Her thematic shows included “Soundings: A Contemporary Score,” “Music Video: The Industry and Its Fringes,” “Looking at Music,” and “Video from Tokyo to Fukui and Kyoto.” Her writing has appeared in numerous catalogues and publications. She was the first to integrate the Internet as part of curatorial practice, with Stir-fry (1994), http://www.adaweb.com/context/stir-fry/; Internyet (1998); and dot.jp. (1999.)

Benoît Baume

Founder of Fisheye

After studying at Sciences Po Lyon and the University of Journalism in Salzburg, Austria, Benoît Baume started his career at Libération. He took a three-year break from journalism to live in New Zealand during the 2003 America’s Cup, the prestigious sailing event. Upon returning to Paris, he collaborated with various photography-related publications before becoming the editor-in-chief of Images magazine, a position he held for seven years. This role allowed him to develop a deep understanding of the photography and art world. In 2013, he founded Fisheye magazine, which quickly established a new style for showcasing emerging artists and photographers. In 2017, Le Journal des Arts named him one of the 10 most influential people in photography in France. Benoît is also deeply involved in new media, particularly virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and immersive experiences, which he is passionate about. He created the VR Arles Festival at the Rencontres d’Arles in 2016 and the Palais Augmenté at the Grand Palais Éphémère with RMN in 2021. Alongside his Fisheye team, he advises leading brands on photography, imagery, and immersive creations. Constantly in search of new artistic ventures, Benoît enjoys developing projects that combine culture, innovation, and imagery. In 2023, he launched Fisheye Immersive, a media platform dedicated to exploring digital art, artificial intelligence in art, and immersive experiences with both seriousness and curiosity.

René Pinnell

CEO, Artizen

René Pinnell is the founder of Artizen, a community fund for human creativity. Playing a central role in the artistic renaissance of virtual reality, René has helped creators raise more than $50MM for original projects including the first seven-figure deal for a VR film at Sundance. As an executive producer, René Pinnell has worked on some of the industry’s most groundbreaking work including the animated VR film BATTLESCAR, starring Rosario Dawson, and the VR series SPHERES, starring Jessica Chastain, Millie Bobby Brown, and Patti Smith. As a filmmaker & designer, René produced the acclaimed comedy show Backpack Picnic, directed the feature documentary The King of Texas, sold a TV pilot to MTV, designed 5 products & founded 2 companies.

Ana Brzezińska

Immersive curator, Tribeca Festival

Ana is a Polish-French-American curator and producer specializing in digital and emerging formats with a focus on AR/MR/VR technologies. Transitioning to interactive media in 2013, she has since assumed the role of Immersive Curator at Tribeca Festival in 2021/22. Tribeca Festival was founded by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Tribeca Immersive, the in-competition section for spatial and digital storytelling, is considered one of the most prestigious selections in the world. Additionally, Ana serves as an Expert Advisor for the European Commission and manages her consultancy, Petersdottir, where she offers mentorship and advisory services to cultural organizations in Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East. Each year, she participates on multiple juries and sits on selection committees, actively engaging with over 400 projects (VR/AR, AI, digital). Previously, Ana was Head of Studio at Kaleidoscope, an American-French immersive production company specializing in virtual event and content production, and fostering up-and-coming projects and talent, where she managed and creative produced over fifteen immersive and hybrid events including the biggest VR exhibition in virtual reality at Cannes XR/Marché du film. Over the course of her career, Ana directed and produced over two dozen TV shows, films, series, on-air promotion, in-person and virtual events for esteemed global entities such as Warner Bros. Discovery, Canal+, Yahoo, Paramount, Digital Catapult, Polish National Opera. She also programmed film and VR/AR events, led workshops and university courses on immersive and interactive media, mentored creators and organizations, advised funds and policymakers, published articles, and translated books. She comes from an artistic family and is a fourth-generation cultural leader.