A staff member helps a visitor wear VR glasses at the playing area of the Venice Immersive section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Sept. 3, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
VENICE, Italy, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- At a screening venue on a small island near Venice's Lido in Italy, a foreign visitor put on a virtual reality headset and stepped into a Chinese story.
Outside the screening room, more viewers waited in line for their turn to experience The Pigeon Ring, a Chinese immersive work that explores family, memory and the bonds between generations.
The scene at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival is a vivid example of how immersive storytelling is opening up new possibilities for Chinese creators to reach audiences around the world.
Established in 2016, the Venice Immersive section is an official section of the festival and has grown into one of the world's largest events dedicated to immersive arts and media. It showcases creative extended reality (XR) works ranging from immersive videos and virtual and mixed reality experiences to virtual worlds and immersive installations.
Visitors experience the VR project Out of the Ashes at the playing area of the Venice Immersive section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Sept. 3, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
The Pigeon Ring, directed by Zhang Yuqi and Tao Shixin, has been selected for the Venice Immersive competition this year. It tells a story of a granddaughter who accompanies her grandfather back to their old family home in search of a lost pigeon ring. What begins as a seemingly ordinary family journey gradually unfolds into a story of memory, companionship and affection.
"Most of the audiences who have come to see the work over the past few days have been from overseas," Zhang and Tao told Xinhua. "Many foreign viewers shed tears after watching it. Perhaps the work has touched something that people can emotionally relate to."
That emotional connection across cultural boundaries has also left a deep impression on Michel Reilhac, co-curator of Venice Immersive.
He described the work as "very moving," noting that without featuring broad narratives and spectacular visual scenes, The Pigeon Ring focuses on a much smaller story -- an ordinary family story -- yet manages to generate a powerful emotional impact.
"It's not relying on special effects, but on the heart of the story itself," Reilhac told Xinhua, adding that this makes Chinese works accessible to and appreciated by international audiences.
Behind these stories and emotional experiences lies another important force: rapidly evolving technology.
This photo taken on Sept. 3, 2026 shows a view of the playing area of the Venice Immersive section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival in Venice, Italy. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)
Liz Rosenthal, co-curator of Venice Immersive, highlighted the use of Gaussian splatting, an advanced 3D rendering technique, in The Pigeon Ring, describing it as a particularly innovative approach.
"It really takes you into the story in a way that we haven't seen before," she said. "It's almost like stepping into a film."
"China has made incredible progress in artificial intelligence, robotics and all kinds of digital technologies," said Reilhac, adding that the country's technological development is moving in a highly forward-looking direction and is helping creators produce increasingly sophisticated immersive works.
The co-curator also commended the development of talent training at Chinese universities. Recalling a recent visit to Shanghai Theatre Academy, Reilhac said he was impressed by the openness of young Chinese creators and artists toward international collaboration.
He noted that, alongside The Pigeon Ring, a number of works by young Chinese artists are being presented at the festival's immersive section, with some creators still studying at university.
"It's very important for us that we represent new voices, new artists alongside the more established ones," he said.
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