This September, Agog is entering our stage-mom era. Some of the most urgent storytelling in immersive media is heading to Italy. Venice Immersive, part of the Venice International Film Festival, has selected an impressive slate for its 2026 edition, including three projects with direct ties to Agog, and we couldn’t be prouder of these babies! We’ll dig into that momentum, plus a civic storytelling project closer to home, new research from the field, and a few ways to get involved.
VENICE IMMERSIVE 2026
Solwata to Premiere at Venice Immersive
Most of us will never travel to Solomon Islands and witness firsthand what rising seas mean for the communities living there. Immersive storytelling can’t replace being there, but it can bring us closer.
We’re delighted to share that Solwata, created by NowHere Media and co-produced by Human Rights Watch and Agog, will make its world premiere at Venice Immersive this September. Narrated and executive produced by Academy Award–nominated actor and human rights advocate Mark Ruffalo, the mixed reality experience builds on Human Rights Watch’s research into climate displacement in Solomon Islands. Solwata invites audiences to stand alongside communities whose ancestral homelands are disappearing beneath rising seas, offering a deeper understanding of the difficult decisions families face as climate change reshapes where and how they live.
For us, the project represents how immersive storytelling can combine rigorous reporting, community collaboration, technology, and powerful storytelling to deepen understanding of one of the defining human rights challenges of our time.
Learn more and watch the trailer →
VENICE IMMERSIVE 2026
More Agog-Supported Works Take the Stage
Solwata won’t be the only Agog-connected work at Venice Immersive this year. (We love an ensemble.)
Out of the Ashes, created by Nonny de la Peña and Rory Mitchell, explores memory, resilience, and recovery in communities affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, while Empire at Sea, directed by Peter Flaherty, invites participants into a collaborative AR/VR experience that asks difficult questions about migration, belonging, and collective responsibility in a climate-altered future.
Three very different works, three well-earned spots on one of the world’s leading stages for XR. It’s a great year to be paying attention to purpose-driven immersive storytelling.
See all Venice Immersive selections →
GRANTEE SPOTLIGHT
MURMURATIONS Gathers a Living Archive of American Stories
Against a backdrop of intensified federal immigration operations and communities organizing to protect one another, the United States’ 250th anniversary challenges its citizens to imagine, and help build, a more inclusive democracy. MURMURATIONS is a civic storytelling project created in response to this moment.
The augmented reality piece gathers individual voices into a shared, living archive—an immersive digital flock in which each bird carries a personal story. Visitors are invited to listen, reflect, and add their own, building a collective call for care, belonging, and the right of families and communities to stay whole. Immigrants, families, and communities across Los Angeles are invited to contribute stories—each one becoming part of a collective portrait of the people shaping America today.
RESOURCES AND RESEARCH
Key Insights from the SH/FT Salon, Now Live
Agog supported the SH/FT Salon, a gathering of cultural leaders examining audience trust, the use of digital tools, and sustainable ways to grow the immersive arts. Key insights from those conversations are now live on Google Arts & Culture. The full report is available on request—email immersive.partnerships@barbican.org.uk to receive a copy.