Throughout the 78th edition of the Locarno Film Festival (6–16 August 2025), the Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF) presents a dual selection of immersive experiences in the Cabina—the former projection booth of the Piazza Grande—at the crossroads of art, technology, and storytelling.

OTO’S PLANET

GWENAEL FRANÇOIS | 2024 | LU, CA, FR | 28’ | VO. FR, EN

It’s not every day you get the chance to meet an old hermit on his little planet… If Saint Exupéry’s Little Prince had grown old with his dog on a tiny asteroid and had to deal with the unexpected arrival of a troublesome neighbor, this would be Oto’s Planet. This artwork understands the codes of interactive virtual reality films, offering a funny, pop universe that’s above all very intuitive. Immerse yourself in Oto’s world, with its colors, action sequences, cartoonish look, and not-so-funny take on our times. Not to be missed!

IMPRESSIONS DE LA SUISSE

ERNST ALBRECHT HEINIGER | 1984 | CH | 20’ | Restored in virtual reality in 2024 by the Swiss Cinematheque

A restoration and virtual reality evocation produced by the Cinémathèque suisse, with the support of Memoriav.
Restless lakes, modern factories, the Tschäggättä on a jaunt, mountaineers in full ascent, cows roaming the alpine pastures, tranquil ruins in the countryside… Nothing seems able to escape the wide lens of the Swissorama recording and projection system developed by avant-garde pioneer Ernst Heiniger in the early 1980s. A self-taught Disney director, Impressions de la Suisse is a dizzyingly moving portrait of old Helvetia, with its varied and sometimes little-known facets. This is an opportunity to (re)discover this legendary documentary, shown continuously at the Swiss Museum of Transport from 1984 to 2002.