The interactive production stars Orlando Jones, Ayelet Zurer and others, with a new trailer debuting exclusively on UploadVR.
A group of ten people wearing Apple Vision Pro gathers around a table. Through passthrough mixed reality, volumetrically captured actors appear within the scene in front of them, while viewers can move around the table, change their perspective and take part in a branching story.
That’s the setup for Empire At Sea, a new 22-minute immersive drama from director Peter Flaherty premiering in competition at Venice Immersive this week. The creators describe it as a “solarpunk AR drama”, drawing on a science-fiction genre that imagines more sustainable futures.
Venice Immersive runs September 2-12 as part of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, with Empire At Sea among the projects competing in this year’s immersive program.
UploadVR can exclusively reveal a new trailer for Empire At Sea below.
Video Credit: Flaherty Pictures
Empire At Sea follows a group of climate scientists who move to a remote oil rig to try to build a sustainable community at sea. Their experiment takes on a very different purpose after a catastrophic event devastates the mainland and leaves them cut off from the outside world.
The story picks up five years later, when a young woman named Lani spots a boat on the horizon. It’s the first sign of civilization the community has seen since the disaster, forcing them to decide whether to welcome the strangers or keep them away by force.
A Shared Story Around The Table
The story plays out around a custom-built LED table, with Vision Pro blending the volumetrically captured performers into the physical scene. Ten participants can move around the table simultaneously and follow the action from different positions, while participatory elements influence the branching narrative.
The cast includes Orlando Jones (American Gods), Ayelet Zurer (Munich), Geoffrey Arend (Goliath), Beth Grant (No Country for Old Men), Imani Jade Powers and Mary Chieffo. The actors were volumetrically captured for the production, which uses technology from 4DV.ai. Flaherty previously created the AR and projection-mapping experience The Dial, shown at Sundance in 2019, and served as creative director for Marvel Studios and Disney’s Eternals AR project in 2021, among other immersive media projects.
Beyond Venice
Empire At Sea was commissioned by Lincoln Center and ASU Gammage, and Venice won’t be the only place to experience it. The production is scheduled to appear at Lincoln Center in January 2027, and its press notes say versions are also planned for VR headsets and mobile phones for at-home audiences.
Specific platforms and release timing haven’t yet been announced.
