68th BFI London Film Festival announces exciting programme of immersive art, extended reality, and gaming

Experience innovative art installations, extended reality, and interactive gaming at the 68th BFI London Film Festival, showcasing leading global talent across London venues.

All Images to be credited to ©AdrienMClaireB.

The 68th BFI London Film Festival, in partnership with American Express, has unveiled its LFF Expanded programme, spotlighting immersive art, extended reality, and gaming works. This cutting-edge showcase, running from 11-27 October 2024, celebrates the evolution of storytelling through innovative mediums like virtual and mixed reality, alongside more traditional film formats. The programme features contributions from renowned artists and creators, including Imogen Heap, Liam Young, and Memo Akten, alongside works starring notable figures like Tilda Swinton, Olivia Cooke, and Rosario Dawson. Audiences can experience a variety of projects across key London venues, including Bargehouse, BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX, and Outernet London.

A major highlight of LFF Expanded includes five large-scale installations. Among these is Impulse: Playing with Reality, a mixed reality installation by UK studio Anagram, narrated by Tilda Swinton, which explores Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Arcade, presented at BFI Southbank, immerses audiences in a nostalgic, interactive world inspired by 1980s video games. Meanwhile, The Great Endeavour at Outernet London envisions a future of global unity in tackling climate change, and Last Minute by Adrien M and Claire B offers a haunting exploration of the moments before birth and death through projection mapping. Superradiance: Embodying Earth, at BFI IMAX, combines AI and dance in a multiscreen installation that provokes reflections on our connection to the natural world.

Concept still. 'Superradiance. Embodying Earth', 2024. Memo Akten and Katie Peyton Hofstadter.

This year’s festival also makes a bold leap into the world of gaming with a new interactive Games Lounge at Bargehouse. This space allows visitors to explore five free video games, including A Highland Song, where players journey through the Scottish Highlands, and Closer the Distance, a poignant simulation about community and grief. Additionally, four free XR works explore themes of health and human experience. These include Mammary Mountain, based on the artist Tara Baoth Mooney’s own experience with cancer, and Soul Paint, where audiences can express their emotions through body mapping and 3D drawing, narrated by Rosario Dawson.

The LFF Expanded programme continues with a series of events, including a conversation with Grammy Award-winning musician Imogen Heap, who will discuss her experiments with AI in creative performance. There will also be a session on ADHD and gaming, connected to the Impulse: Playing with Reality installation, at the Science Gallery. Curated by Ulrich Schrauth, the BFI’s XR and Immersive Programme Lead, the 2024 edition of LFF Expanded invites audiences to explore new storytelling methods and engage with technology in innovative ways.

The 68th BFI London Film Festival will take place from 9- 20 October 2024. bfi.org.uk.