Introduction

This workshop serves as a platform for researchers, artists, and industry practitioners to explore the transformative impact of AI and Extended Reality (XR) on cinema and performance. It emphasizes foresight thinking, yet, we encourage alternative or hybrid research methods presented by participants—from ethnographic fieldwork to practice‑based design experiments.

This event aims to establish a robust community dedicated to advancing AI and XR in artistic practices. Therefore, we invite authors to submit 2-4 page position papers on their use of XR and/or AI in their practice or on any of the following topics:

• AI-driven tools for cinema, and performance

• XR applications in storytelling, and audience engagement

• Prototyping methods for creative processes in cinema and performance

• Integration of GenAI in creative workflows

• Haptic and sensory feedback in immersive arts

• Rapid prototyping for immersive performance

• Collaborative frameworks for artists and technologists

• Trends in cinema and performance technologies

• Challenges in implementing AI and XR in artistic contexts

• Repurposing of existing techniques for these contexts

• User/case studies evaluating the above topics

• Speculative design evaluating the future of the above topics

• Exploration of AI and/or XR futures (e.g., Futures Studies, critical making, speculative design)

Other related topics are welcome, and interdisciplinary contributions are highly encouraged. In addition to a presentation at the workshop, authors of all accepted submissions will be strongly encouraged to demonstrate their novel techniques in a video which will be shared with the workshop participants and on our workshop website. Additionally, creators are encouraged to submit their AI generated films for screening at the workshop as alternative submissions for participation.

We seek to tie these contributions together intellectually with unifying ideas, frameworks, and theories that provide common ground for discussing, analyzing, connecting, inventing, comparing, and making predictions about emerging new techniques as well as to identify gaps or opportunities for a future research agenda. To ground the discussion, we will begin with the concept of future forms of cinematic and performance experiences.

Workshop Goals

• Facilitate the exchange of cutting-edge research and practical applications of AI and XR in cinema and performance

• Foster collaborations among participants from academia, industry, and the creative sectors

• Encourage innovative approaches and solutions to challenges in integrating AI and XR with artistic practices and techniques 

• Establish a network of professionals dedicated to advancing AI and XR applications in these fields

Workshop Format

A half-day workshop including keynotes, paper presentations, screenings, and interactive brainstorming. 

The workshop will be conducted remotely and is scheduled to accommodate participants across different time zones. It will include keynote presentations, paper presentations, screenings, and interactive discussion sessions. The interactive sessions will utilize collaborative tools to engage participants actively, including brainstorming activities and foresight of trends in techniques and approaches within future cinema and performance contexts.

Modes of Participation

To accommodate diverse scholarly and creative contributions, the workshop recognizes three distinct participation modalities:

• Paper Presentation Track: for researchers, practitioners, and artists who submit a position paper for peer review. Accepted authors deliver an oral presentation

• Demonstration Track: for submissions such as: AI-generated films, functioning prototypes, technical toolkits, artistic works that embody novel interactions, production techniques, or audience experiences

• Participant-at-Large Track: for scholars, practitioners, and students who wish to attend and contribute to the workshop discourse without submitting a formal work

Workshop Schedule

Monday, June 23rd, 2025

Keynote Speakers

Keynote 1: The New Stagecraft: Theatrical Perspectives on the Art of XR Storytelling

Keynote 2: Directing AI: A Practical Guide to Generative Filmmaking

Selected Demo of Presented Work

To Be Shared Post Workshop

Important Dates

If you'd like to present and participate in the activities:

• • Abstract deadline (250 words)  June 15th, 2025, 23:59 AoE time (optional but encouraged) 

  • Submission Deadline                             June 20th, 2025, 23:59 AoE time 

  • Notification Deadline                            June 20th, 2025, 23:59 AoE time (This is the final acceptance date, acceptance will be published on a rolling basis relative to the actual submission date)

  • Camera-Ready                                         TBD for selected papers

If you'd like to participate in the activities without presenting, please fill in this short form (https://forms.gle/eVQfbgTRRsRSjw4v6). We'll be accepting submissions until June 20th, 2025, 23:59 AoE time.

If you'd like to submit a demo instead of a paper, please fill in this short form (https://forms.gle/rVLwbRAfiVc78bz99). We'll be accepting submissions until June 20th, 2025, 23:59 AoE time.

Submission Information

Papers should be submitted via EasyChair to https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=1fcpaixr0 

Submissions must be anonymized in PDF format, and prepared in using the ACM submission template, available at: https://authors.acm.org/proceedings/production-information 

All submissions will be peer reviewed. At least one author of each accepted submission must register for the workshop and conference. Authors of accepted papers will be expected to give a 7-10-minute presentation at the workshop, and encouraged to give a demonstration of their research as a video. 

Accepted papers will be published on the workshop website (pending authors consent), with the best papers invited to collaborate on journal publications.

Workshop Organizer