Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2027: Free Global Immersive XR, VR and AR Call Closes 8 January
The 29th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Greece, scheduled for 4–14 March 2027, is calling for immersive documentary experiences in virtual, augmented and extended reality. The 'Immersive: All around cinema' International Competition has its own entry date and fee structure: XR projects are accepted until 8 January 2027 with no submission charge.
XR works and programme requirements
The immersive category seeks VR, AR and XR projects that explore documentary language through interactive and spatial storytelling. The organiser presents immersive work as an independent competitive section, not merely as a screening supplement to linear documentary features.
Eligible immersive projects must have been completed within twenty-four months of the festival opening and must not have been released or publicly screened in Greece, either physically or online. This premiere and geography condition can make a previously accessible web installation ineligible; artists should check the complete regulations.
Distinct deadlines and fees: do not confuse the tracks
The festival's main feature-documentary competitions use a 30 November 2026 deadline, with €60 entry fees after the September early-bird period. By contrast, the festival expressly states that immersive XR entries are free and can be submitted until 8 January 2027.
The festival's open-calls index also lists separate professional Agora pitching and XR laboratory schemes with their own dates. A submission to 'Immersive: All around cinema' should not be assumed to apply automatically to an industry workshop or pitching programme.
About the organiser, rights and practical needs
Thessaloniki is an established documentary festival and film-industry meeting point featuring international screenings, seminars and the Agora Doc Market. The 29th edition adds interactive storytelling to its nonfiction programme, creating a public platform for audiovisual designers and digital artists.
Creators should check hardware compatibility, language and accessibility provisions, the need to deliver installation documentation, rights for embedded sounds and footage, and insurance or transport for physical XR hardware. Selection is not a guarantee of travel, installation funding or sales.
Where to send work
Use the festival's official open-calls page to locate the Immersive/XR submission form. The official newsroom call provides the broad conditions, while the form and full regulations control the actual delivery and licensing details.
Before uploading unpublished intellectual property or requiring collaborators to travel, obtain any specific presentation agreement directly from the festival.
Official call and application
The organiser's published information was checked on 23 October 2026. Read the complete official rules and confirm all dates, fees, permissions and immigration conditions before applying.