A View From the Venice Production Bridge

London-based immersive director Tatiana Collet-Apraxine takes us behind the scenes of her trip to Venice Production Bridge, where she presented her XR project in development Mystis.

Mystis follows Tatiana’s previous VR film, The Descent, which won the inaugural Innovate UK Immersive Tech Award 2023 in the Creative XR category and was longlisted for the Lumen Prize. She has been a resident of Mediale and a Sheffield DocFest Alternate Reality talent.

Tatiana received a travel grant under the Labs and Co-Production Forum strand for her participation in the Gap Financing Market at Venice Production Bridge, the official film market of the Venice International Film Festival.

I am Tatiana, a London-based immersive director and have been developing my project Mystis for the last two years. Mystis (which was part of the BFI’s Develop Create XR programme), is an animated Virtual Reality experience about grief and loss, taking the player on a journey through mystical realms of the mythical Underworld, guided by a mysterious child – on a quest to look for their long-dead mother.

Back in 2025 I was lucky enough to be a part of the Venice Biennale College Cinema - Immersive programme, an incredible initiative that selects just 12 projects from all over the world for a first workshop, and 3 projects for a second workshop. Being invited to participate in the Gap Financing Market of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival was the next chapter of my incredible Venetian journey and, as one of the most influential markets for immersive and film in the world, it put the project front and centre to people who may be able to help advance it in different ways.

For Mystis, which is in advanced development, the timing was perfect to generate interest and foster new connections. The project is currently entering the prototyping stage and will hopefully enter full production next year, with the ambition of securing its world premiere at Venice in 2028.

Meetings, meetings, meetings...

My time on the ground (and canals) in Venice was composed of many meetings, incredible experiences and talks, very long queues (!), gorgeous and rather lengthy boat ferry rides. Sadly, with the limited time and endless offerings, I was only able to partake in a fraction of the activities on offer.

Together with my collaborators Ruth Mariner (Narrative Designer) and Alina Mikhaleva (Producer), our primary focus was three intensive days of officially scheduled meetings. This included some dedicated time with UK-based funding representatives (including BFI and Immersive Arts UK) helping me understand a little more about timelines and opportunities ahead, as well as strategic meetings with potential French, European and international co-production partners to increase our chances of getting the project fully funded. A highlight was also of course, meeting with incredible creators and fellow filmmakers who are forging a path for themselves in this industry.

Glimpsing new work

The immersive selection is located on a tiny island of the Venetian Lido called Isola del Lazzaretto Vecchio. It is also where the Production Bridge activities took place. There I got to experience some of the immersive experiences in and out of competition, and understand more deeply how the industry is evolving, shaped and growing, even though it is facing many challenges. Some of the most incredible work I experienced (and similar in themes to my project) included French production Artou by Abderrahmane Sissako and the stunning Nonny de la Peña’s work Out of the Ashes which captures the human stories and devastation of the California wildfires in 2025. I really loved seeing LBE (Location Based Entertainment) experiences such as Everest: The First Ascent create more of a commercially viable potential future for VR. Of course, there are 60+ experiences showcased so I only got to peek at the full selection.

Reflections from the Lido

A waterside picnic and gathering at sunset, organised by the German production company Reynard, proving the loveliest gatherings in Venice aren’t necessarily the most star-studded exclusive ones.

The Venice Film Festival, and specifically the Immersive Island - one of the largest and most important immersive gatherings - is one of the best places to be while developing a project. Being part of the market brought incredible value, from the prestige and platform it offered to meet incredible people from the industry. Though there is no concrete outcome at the moment, nor were we expecting any, we have met valuable contacts in the UK-based funding bodies and ecosystems who have advised us, met potential partners for co-productions in France, Germany and Taiwan, and potential distribution partners as well.

The festival attendance itself proved immensely valuable for both my personal and professional development and was an important milestone for Mystis. I am immensely grateful for the travel grant, which made it possible for me to present it there at a crucial time!

What's next?

Soon I will be travelling to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where Mystis has been selected as a recipient of the Villa Formose residency, a bilateral initiative between France and Taiwan. I will prototype the first act of the piece and take part in the Kaohsiung Film Festival while I'm there.

For more on Tatiana's work: follow @tatianapraxine https://www.onism.studio