Four innovative projects awarded Film Fund DocLab Interactive Grant 2024

This expanded support underscores the grant's commitment to fostering a broader range of innovative work. The winning projects, spanning immersive installations, XR, and performance art, will have their world premieres at IDFA 2024 (November 14–24).

Netherlands Film Fund film consultant Michiel van Opstal about the selection:

"This year, the committee has approved four projects. The selection stands out for its diversity, both in terms of themes and approaches to interaction. Some projects opt for a highly performative and physical form of engagement with the audience, while others take a more technological approach, where interaction is not at the forefront but serves the purpose of what the creators aim to convey or express. The committee is also very impressed by the high level of urgency reflected in the selected projects. Each one explores a pressing social issue in a unique way."

Töngö Sondi by Ruben Cabenda is a short, surreal animation exploring the deep connection between language, identity, and oppression, inspired by the Tower of Babel. Presented in an immersive installation, the animation portrays the loss of language as a symbol of losing identity. Cabenda powerfully captures the legacy of colonialism in this intense and thought-provoking work.

Alaa Minawi’s The Liminal turns a simple wall into a powerful metaphor for division and unity. This installation invites visitors to listen through a wall that, while symbolizing separation, actually harbors a vibrant community thriving within. By placing your ear against the wall, you can hear the hidden life of those who decided to leave the current world with all its oppressive systems. Inspired by Arab Futurism, Minawi challenges us to imagine a world where all borders and partitions combine into the largest state on earth—one that those who no longer want to be complicit in the current reality, were to claim it? The Liminal invites us to reconsider what lies beyond these walls and barriers, highlighting the strength and potential of those who live outside mainstream visibility.

Future Botanica by POLYMORF challenges the outdated idea that nature and technology are at odds. This augmented reality app lets users design new ecosystems with AI and overlay these virtual worlds onto real landscapes. Through this interaction, Future Botanica encourages exploration of future scenarios for nature, reflecting our hopes, fears, and evolving perceptions. Known for their multisensory installations like Symbiosis and Famous Deaths, POLYMORF’s latest work invites you to engage with the merging of natural and technological realms in an engaging and interactive way.

In Me, a Depiction, Lisa Schamlé uses a mirror and her own body to create an intimate and provocative performance. An installation piece that combines video, photography, and performance; this final piece of her trilogy on female sexuality—following Formula Cum (2023) and My Toe (uncensored), which premiered at IDFA in 2022—Schamlé reclaims her body by engaging directly with the audience through the mirror. She challenges societal objectification of women’s bodies and invites viewers to rethink self-image and empowerment. By looking back at the audience, Schamlé shifts the focus from judgment to a personal narrative of self-assertion and identity.

The Netherlands Film Fund offers this grant to support exceptional interactive and immersive projects that employ next-gen technologies and storytelling techniques. The grant aims to foster creative talent and present innovative narratives to an international audience. Since 2017, the Netherlands Film Fund and IDFA DocLab have partnered annually to promote immersive and interactive storytelling with global potential through the Film Fund DocLab Interactive Grant. This year's expanded selection demonstrates the grant's growing scope and impact. Previous recipients include artists such as Tamara Shogaolu, Studio Moniker, Nirit Peled, Constant Dullaart, Piotr Winiewicz, and Mathilde Renault.

IDFA DocLab explores the evolving landscape of interactive documentary art, where the lines between art, reality, and technology intersect. Each November, during IDFA, DocLab curates a diverse selection of innovative works, presented through exhibitions across various venues and complemented by a series of live events.

Our full program will be announced October 15. Stay tuned!