French Immersion in the U.S.
New Media
Impulse: Playing with reality by May Abdalla & Barry Gene Murphy
By the New Media Department
French Immersion is a program supporting emerging and innovative French XR productions and immersive experiences in the U.S., managed by Villa Albertine.
Villa Albertine and the Albertine Foundation, in partnership with UniFrance, the Institut Français, and the CNC, launched this program in 2018 to support producers and creators of a wide range of XR projects and immersive experiences, including 360° videos, multi-user VR experiences, augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (VR & AR), AI-driven films, video games, dome experiences, and artistic projects involving new technologies.and artistic projects involving new technologies.
French Immersion is a mobility and distribution support program for French immersive creative productions in the United States.
Villa Albertine is renewing its Immersive Exhibition Grants for American Cultural Institutions and Venues for 2026.
The program offers two types of grants:
Mobility Grant
Villa Albertine and the Albertine Foundation, in partnership with UniFrance, the Institut Français, and the CNC, launched this program in 2018 to support producers and creators of immersive experiences, including VR, AR, installations, AI-driven films, video games, dome experiences, and artistic projects involving new technologies.The grant offers up to $2,500 for French creators selected by U.S. festivals, enabling them to travel to the United States to present their work at major events such as SXSW, Filmgate Miami, Tribeca, Sundance, GDC, and Games for Change. As soon as your work is selected, you may contact Camille Jeanjean, New Media Officer, to request funding: camille.jeanjean@villa-albertine.org
- SXSW 2025 (Mars 7-15)
In the Current of Being – By Cameron Kostopoulos. Producted by par Cameron Kostopoulos, Katayoun Dibamehr, Avi Amar
Behind the Dish – The Sushi Master – By Targo Stories. Producted by par Targo et Meta Quest
In Urbe – By Ugo Arsac. Producted by Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains
Ito Meikyu – By Borris Labbé. Producted par Sacrebleu Productions
Impulse : playing wiht reality – By May Abdalla & Barry Gene Murphy. Producted by Anagram, Floreal
Oto’s Planet – By Gwenael François. Producted by Julien Becker, Nicolas S. Roy, Vincent Guttman, Voyelle Acker
SXSW 2024 (Mars 8-16)
Madame Pirate : Code of Conduct – Directed by Dan-Chi Huang and Morgan Ommer. Produced by Estela Valdivieso Chen, Jamie Lin
Astra – Directed by Eliza McNitt. Produced by Arnaud Colinart, Aurélie Leduc
Emperor – Directed by Marion Burger and Ilan J. Cohen. Produced by Atlas V, Reynard Films and France Télévision
Energeia – Directed by Ugo Arsac. Produced by Ugo Arsac.
Maya: The Birth of a Superhero – Directed by Poulomi Basu and CJ Clarke. Produced by JAPC, Floréal, Meta VR for Good, France Télévisions and Meta
Impulse – Directed by Barry Gene Murphy and May Abdalla. Produced by John Hunter, Katayoun Dibamehr and Avi Amar
Targo – Participating in a festival panel.
Insula Orchestra – Participating in a festival panel.
Small Studio – Participating in a festival panel.
2023
Filmgate Miami (Nov 29-Dec 3)
The Eye and I – Directed by Hsin-Chien Huang and Jean-Michel Jarre. Produced by Hsin-Chien Huang, Co-produced by Digital Rise
In Search of Time – Directed by Pierre Zandrowicz and Matthew Tierney. Produced by Atlas V.
Fortune – Directed by Claire Meinhard et Emilie Valentin. Produced by Atlas V in coproduction with ARTE France.
Flow – Directed by Adriaan Lokman. Produced by Valk Productions in coproduction with Lucid Realities
Biennale Chroniques – Participating in a festival panel.
Iconem – Participating in a festival panel.
Games for Change (July 14-21)
Fight Back VR – Written and directed by Céline Tricart. Produced by Marie Blondiaux and Céline Tricart. Co-produced by Red Corner, Lucid Dreams Productions, and France Télévisions.
Tribeca (June 7-18)
Monstrorama – VR Experience – Directed by Clément Deneux. Produced by Atlas V.
Fortune – Directed by Claire Meinhard and Nicolas Bourniquel. Produced by Atlas V and ARTE France.
In Search of Time – AI short film – Directed by Pierre Zandrowicz and Matt Tierney. Produced by Atlas V and Pressman Film.
Colored – AR experience – Directed by Pierre-Alain Giraud and Stéphane Foenkinos. Written by Tania de Montaigne. Co-produced by Pierre-Alain Giraud and Emanuela Righi (Novaya – France); Patrick Huang (Flash Forward Entertainment – Taiwan); and Centre Pompidou – France.
The Birth – Chapter 1 – VR experience – Written and directed by Poulomi Basu and CJ Clarke. Produced by CJ Clarke (JAPC), Katayoun Dibamehr and Avi Amar (Floréal), Amy Seidenwurm (Meta VR for Good), and Jeanne Marchalot (France Télévisions, Francetv Storylab).
SXSW 2023 (March 10-19)
Jailbirds – Written by Thomas Villepoux and directed by Thomas Villepoux. A co-production between Be Revolution Pictures and Digital Rise.
JFK Memento – Written by Chloé Rochereuil. Produced by Targo.
Behind the Dish – VR Experience – Written by Chloé Rochereuil. Produced by Targo.
Spring Odyssey – Directed by Elise Mornin. Produced by Lucid Realities.
FilmGate Interactive Festival Edition 2 (December 2 – 5)
Mandala Digital Rise
2022
Sundance 2022 (January 20-30, 2022)
They dream in my bones – Faye Formisano
Seven grams – Karim Ben Khelifa
SXSW 2022 (March 11-20)
On the morning you awake – Atlas V
Goliath playing with reality – Floreal
Tribeca 2022 (June 8-19)
Kubo walks the city – Innerspaces
Missing pictures Episode 3 – Atlas V
Game for Change (June 13-14)
Goliath playing with reality – Floreal
FilmGate Interactive Festival (Nov 28 Dec-5)
What’s left of reality? – Astrea (Atlas V)
Dark Euphoria – Panel
Spring Odyssey – Lucid Realities
Exhibition Grant
A grant up to $10,000 for U.S. cultural institutions, offered by Villa Albertine with the support of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and in partnership with the Institut Français. This program supports the exhibition of French XR projects in American cultural institutions and venues. Following a rigorous selection process led by an independent committee, four programming grants will be awarded in the fall to U.S. venues offering the best immersive experiences for the widest possible audience. At the end of the year, Franco-American professional meetings will be held in the United States, bringing together XR professionals from both countries.
Discover the 2025 grantees’ projects and exhibitions across U.S. institutions here.
Find out more and apply for the 2026 edition here.
- Fulton County Department of Arts and Culture, Atlanta (Georgia)
Immersive Horizons: French Cinema in VR, four VR films by a french distributor, Diversion Cinema:
The Real Thing – By Benoit Felici, Mathias Chelebourg
-22.7 – By Jan Kounen, Amaury La Burthe
Dreamin’Zone – By Fabienne Giezendanner
Bloom – By Fabienne Giezendanner
- Gray Area, San Francisco (California)
The Siren – By Mélanie Courtinat. Produit par Mélanie Courtinat, France+X7, Alpha Rats, Alex Sinh Nguyen
- Arizona State University, Los Angeles (California)
Colored – By Tania de Montaigne et Pierre-Alain Giraud. Producted by Novaya, Flash Forward Entertainment
- Games for Change at Parsons School of Design, New York City (New York) and Arizona State University, Los Angeles (California)
Impulse: Playing with reality – By May Abdalla, Barry Gene Murphy, Léon Denise, Allison Crank. Producted by Anagram, Floreal
- The Museum of Science, Boston (Massachusetts)
Encounters – By Mathieu Pradat. Producted by La prairie productions, SoWhen?
Contact:
Camille Jeanjean, New Media Officer
In partnership with
UniFrance
Founded in 1949 and strengthened thanks to its merger with TV France International in 2021, UniFrance is the organisation responsible for promoting French cinema and TV content worldwide.
Located in Paris, UniFrance employs around 50 staff members, as well as representatives based in the U.S., in China, and soon in Japan. The organisation currently brings together more than 1,000 French cinema and TV content professionals (producers, filmmaking talents, agents, sales companies, etc.) working together to promote French films and TV programmes among foreign audiences, industry executives and media.
Institut français
The Institut français is responsible for France’s international cultural program. Supervised by both the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and by the Ministry of Culture, it promotes French culture abroad through cultural exchange initiatives. Operating in a space where the arts, intellectual exchange, cultural and social innovation, and linguistic partnerships interact and intersect, it is also responsible for promoting the French language and the sharing of works, artists, and ideas all over the world. The Institut français is one of Villa Albertine’s main French partners.
Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC)
Created in 1946, the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) is a public administrative organization, set up as a separate and financially independent entity which comes under the authority of the French ministry of culture and communication. Its principal missions are : support for the film, broadcast, video, video games, immersive productions and technical industries; promotion of film and television for distribution to all audiences and preservation and development of the film heritage.
Albertine Foundation
Previously known as FACE Foundation, Albertine Foundation is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting French-American relations through innovative cultural and educational projects. In close partnership with Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education of the French Embassy in the United States, Albertine Foundation promotes artistic, literary, and educational exchange and collaboration between creative professionals from both countries thanks to corporate, foundation, and individual support.
Follow Albertine Foundation on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
