MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL MMXXV onsite screening day #2
March 21 2025, 2—5 pm
MUBI Microcinema @ Vidiots
Los Angeles, California 90041
Programs:
03/19/2025
EVENT: MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL ONSITE SCREENINGS #1 (MARCH 20 2025, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA)
MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL MMXXV
onsite screening day #1
March 20 2025, 2—5 pm
MUBI Microcinema @ Vidiots
Los Angeles, California 90041
Programs:
GAME VIDEO ESSAY I| | MADE IN ITALY | REPROGRAMMED VISIONS
03/06/2025
EVENT: MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL MMXXV (MARCH 17-23 2025, LOS ANGELES AND ONLINE)
MILAN MACHINIMA FESTIVAL MMXXV
REBOOT/RESTART/RESET
MARCH 17—23 2025
Los Angeles, California and online
The Milan Machinima Festival MMXXV presents a curated selection of 31 machinima and game videos by 35 artists from 17 countries, including Belarus, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the USA. Spanning nine programs, the festival unfolds online (March 17–23, 2025) and onsite in Los Angeles, California (March 20–21, 2025), showcasing works that challenge storytelling conventions, repurpose game engines as cinematic tools, and interrogate the aesthetics and politics of virtual worlds.
12/06/2024
EVENT: EDWIN LO (DECEMBER 6 - 19 2024, ONLINE)
End Time and The Trajectories of Ancestors
digital video, color, sound, 34’ 26”, 2022, Hong Kong.
created by Edwin Lo
December 6 - 19 2024
A machinima video essay that intertwines fragments of Native American history with digital landscapes using Far Cry 5 (2018), End Time and The Trajectories of Ancestors explores themes of religious survivalism, cultural memory, and land representation within digital spaces. By overlaying Far Cry 5 ’s depiction of the state of Montana with archival records and testimonies, the project interrogates how video games engage with colonization, land appropriation, and cultural violence, while reclaiming virtual spaces to amplify marginalized voices.
Edwin Lo is an artist and researcher whose practice spans video, image, installation, sound, and video games. His work recontextualizes video games as dynamic spaces for artistic exploration, rather than treating them as static texts. Lo’s approach integrates sound, machinima, and thematic investigations into technology, faith, and the human condition, resulting in a layered, multifaceted engagement with digital media. He holds a Master of Arts from the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong, and his work has been exhibited internationally. Recent exhibitions include presentations by the Goethe-Institut and Para/site in Hong Kong, Palais de Tokyo, Tokyo Arts and Space, the Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago, Loop Barcelona, Image Forum, International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and Meinblau Projektraum in Berlin. Lo currently lives and works in Hong Kong.
11/08/2024
EVENT: LUKE CASPAR PEARSON (NOVEMBER 8 - 21 2024, ONLINE)
Reyner Banham Loves Los Santos
digital video (1920 x 1080), color, sound, 5’ 15”, 2016, United Kingdom
created by Luke Caspar Pearson
Reyner Banham Loves Los Santos reimagines Banham’s original exploration of Los Angeles through the virtual lens of Grand Theft Auto V. In this adaptation sui generis of a 1972 BBC documentary, Banham’s vision of a city defined by mobility over monumentality is amplified within the sprawling, simulated metropolis of Los Santos. Just as Banham embraced the freeways and fluidity of LA’s urban fabric, Los Santos takes this mobility to an extreme, where the ability to instantly commandeer any vehicle represents a new kind of urban experience, rooted in speed, freedom, and fluid motion. Luke Caspar Pearson’s machinima reflects Banham’s fascination with the paradoxes of the city – its chaotic structure and capacity for personal liberation. The narrative juxtaposes Banham’s celebration of LA’s automotive culture with the lawless nature of Los Santos, transforming Banham’s intellectual engagement with LA into a playful yet critical examination of the intersections between urbanism, architecture, and video game spaces.
Luke Caspar Pearson is a London-based architect, academic, and co-founder of the design research practice You+Pea, where he explores the intersection of video game technologies and architectural design. As an Associate Professor at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, he founded and co-directs the new Cinematic and Videogame Architecture MArch programme, emerging from his work with the innovative Videogame Urbanism studio. His research focuses on how digital tools can engage new audiences with architectural design. Luke is the co-author of Videogame Atlas: Mapping Interactive Worlds (Thames & Hudson, 2022) and his work has been widely published in journals such as eflux Architecture, Design Studies and Architectural Research Quarterly. His design projects have been featured in exhibitions at venues like the Royal Institute of British Architects, Somerset House.
06/24/2024
PROJECT: THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO LOS SANTOS
In this video, Marco De Mutiis and Matteo Bittanti introduce The Photographer's Guide to Los Santos, an online companion to the eponymous exhibition which took place in the context of Fotofestival Lenzburg between May 22 and June 23 2024 in Lenzburg, Switzerland.
The Photographer’s Guide to Los Santos is several things at once.
Firstly, it’s a curated archive and expanding resource center documenting the most significant artistic projects created with Grand Theft Auto V in the past decade.
Secondly, it an educational project, introducing students to virtual photography practices through a thematic overview and a series of hands-on exercises.
Thirdly, as an "how to guide", it provides a series of manuals intended to photography and media arts students interested in experimenting with the game.
This online resource currently collects nine projects created by international artists working with Grand Theft Auto V, that is, 2girls1comp, Alan Butler, Raphael Brunk, COLL.EO, Mattia Dagani Rio, Elizabeth Desintaputri, Claire Hentschker, Mascha Negri, and Georgie Roxby Smith, which were all featured in the very first themed exhibition.
The repository is expected to expand substantially over the next few months.
In this video, the curators discuss the nine notable works currently featured in the online archive.
Explore the The Photographer's Guide to Los Santos
03/28/2024
CFA: NOUVELLE BUG VOL. 3 (DEADLINE: JUNE 15 2024)
Il Varco and Lago Film Fest are delighted to announce the third edition of the internationally acclaimed residency, Nouvelle Bug. This unique program is dedicated to the exploration and production of cinema within the realms of video games and Artificial Intelligence. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Revine Lago, this intensive week-long experience combines webinars and live lessons designed to immerse participants in the experimental frontier of Cinema. Under the guidance of the most renowned filmmakers in this niche, attendees will not only gain invaluable insights but also actively engage in the creation of avant-garde short films. Arrive with ideas and leave with a masterpiece that pushes the boundaries of traditional filmmaking.
The workshop is designed to familiarize participants with cutting-edge techniques, supporting them through the development and production phases of their short film projects. Moreover, these projects will have the opportunity to compete for awards offered by prestigious partners such as Gargantua Distribution, Gioia Film, Sayonara Film, and Lago Film Fest.
Participants will explore new aesthetics and solutions introduced by the widespread use of artificial intelligence, learning to adopt a machine-like perspective. This approach not only opens up new vistas for storytelling but also prompts a reflection on humanity’s god-like role in software creation and its implications for our future.
Through this workshop, filmmakers will embark on a journey to discover and harness the unique narrative power of digital worlds, translating them into compelling cinematic experiences. Nouvelle Bug stands as a beacon for those eager to pioneer the fusion of technology and art, offering a platform to redefine the essence of storytelling in the digital age.
TUTORS
The tutors for the workshop include:
-
Andrea Gatopoulos, a Rome-based film producer and director with a background in Modern Literature from Sapienza University, Rome. His work, which explores virtual environments, includes the project Bit-Reality and the short film Happy New Year, Jim, presented at the 54th Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes. His productions have been featured in over 100 festivals worldwide, such as Cannes, Venice, Rotterdam, and Camerimage.
-
Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis, an artist and filmmaker trained at Le Fresnoy, known for exploring the intersection of identity, technology, and the virtual world. His work Maalbeek,a deep dive into the fragmented memory of a Brussels terrorist attack victim, was selected for the 59th La Semaine de la Critique and won the 2022 César for Best Short Documentary.
-
Total Refusal Crew, a pseudo-Marxist media guerrilla group focusing on the artistic intervention within mainstream video games to expose their underlying political messages. Their films have been showcased at numerous festivals, including Berlinale and Locarno, and their research has been featured in museums and art fairs globally.
-
Gala Hernández López, an artist filmmaker and researcher applying a feminist and critical perspective to analyze discourses within virtual communities. Her film La Mécanique des fluides won the 2024 César for Best Documentary Short Film and the 2023 Experimental Work Award from la Scam (France), among other accolades. She regularly conducts workshops and lectures at prestigious institutions and festivals.
IMPORTANT DATES
March 28th 2024 Opening of the call for entries
June 15th 2024 Closing of the call for entries
June 28th 2024 Announcement of the 30 selected directors
August 18th 2024 Start of the workshop
October 1st 2024Selection of the winning project
03/10/2024
EVENT: MMF MMXXIV (MARCH 11-17 2024, MILAN, ITALY)
press release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV unveils groundbreaking programs for 2024 edition
Milan, Italy - The Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV is thrilled to announce its highly anticipated programs for the 2024 edition, showcasing the best in machinima art from around the world. The festival will feature four unique programs: Auteur Theory, Game Video Essay, Made in Italy, and Slot Machinima.
This year, a concurrent event is FOTOLUDICA, the first Italian conference on in-game photography (March 14-15 2024). Both are free and open to the public.
The Game Video Essay program will present thought-provoking pieces by Cat Bluemke and Jonathan Carroll, Guilhem Causse, Ekiem Barbier, and Quentin L'helgoualc’h, Gina Hara, and Yemen Liu that explore the intersection of gaming and critical analysis. These works delve into the cultural, social, and political implications of video games, offering fresh perspectives on the medium and its impact on society. The program aims to foster a deeper understanding of the potential of video games as a tool for artistic expression and social commentary. The Game Video Essay program will be screened on Thursday March 14, 2024, in the Sala dei 146 (IULM 6).
Made in Italy will celebrate the ingenuity and craft of young Italian machinima artists. This program features three films that showcase unique aesthetics and styles, highlighting the vibrant and thriving Italian machinima art scene. The featured filmmakers, Alberto Calleo, Simone Fiorentino, and Elia "marasma" Strazzacappa, utilize real-time computer graphics engines to craft artworks that challenge traditional notions of cinema and transgress the boundaries between virtual and real-world spaces. Made in Italy will be screened on Friday March 15, 2024, in the Sala dei 146 (IULM 6).
The Auteur Theory program will highlight three exceptional works by leading machinima creators — Jacky Connolly, Lawrence Lek, and Total Refusal — examining the role of the individual artist in shaping the medium. This program celebrates the unique visions and styles of these artists, emphasizing their distinctive contributions to the field of machinima. The Author Theory program will be screened on Friday March 15, 2024 in the Sala dei 146 (IULM 6).
The Contemporary Exhibition Hall will host Slot Machinima, an immersive program featuring eight video installations that will be presented in a loop from March 11-15, 2024, featuring works by renowned artists such as Adonis Archontides, Steven Cottingham, Kara Güt, Thomas Hawranke, Andy Hughes, Carson Lynn, Stephan Panhans and Andrea Winkler, and Bram Ruiter. This special program is designed to immerse viewers in often absurd and deranged virtual environments within the video game imaginary, showcasing the incredible range and depth of avant-garde machinima.
“We are excited to present these groundbreaking programs that showcase the incredible talent and diversity within the machinima avant-garde community,” said festival director Matteo Bittanti. “The Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV aims to push the boundaries of what is possible with this medium and inspire both artists and audiences alike. Through these four distinct programs, we hope to foster a deeper appreciation for the art of machinima and its potential to shape our understanding of the world around us.”
These year’s submission were judged by an international panel of scholars, critics, artists, and curators: Marco De Mutiis, Henry Lowood, Jenna Ng, and Martin Zeilenger.
The poster of the 2024 edition was designed by artist and musician Babak Ahteshamipour. Babak’s vivid new poster design epitomizes the festival’s ethos of propelling machinima into unmapped creative frontiers. Electrifying colors and fantastical shapes blend gaming visuals with mysterious organic shapes, suggesting unexpected artistic dimensions virtual worlds could unlock.
For more information about the Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV and its programs, please visit the official website at https://milanmachinimafestival.org
About Milan Machinima Festival:
The Milan Machinima Festival MMXXIV is an annual celebration of the art of machinima, featuring works by established and emerging artists from around the world. The festival aims to promote the creative potential of real-time computer graphics engines and foster a global community of machinima creators and enthusiasts.
Contact:
Artistic director: Matteo Bittanti
Communication Manager: Colleen Flaherty
IULM Eventi: Caterina Angeretti
News:
For updates, follow us on Patreon, Instagram, Twitter/X and the Festival’s website.
More:
02/16/2024
EVENT: SEA CHANGE (FEBRUARY 15 - AUGUST 18 2024, MIAMI, FLORIDA)
Sea Change
February 15 - August 18 2024
1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33132
United States
Rick Silva and Nicolas Sassoon. Signals 4, 2023. HD color video with sound. 6 min. Courtesy the artist
Sea Change at Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is an immersive exhibition navigating accelerating transformations across climate, culture, and time. The featured works flow between aqueous warnings, poetic meditations on human nature, and futuristic reinterpretations of the technologies reshaping life as we know it. Each offering provides a unique vantage on the deepening interconnectedness of tech and the natural world.
The selection features multilayered virtual beings from LaTurbo Avedon, Eva Papamargariti, and Fabiola Larios; playful interspecies antics in Lorna Mills’ animated GIF collages; surreal animalistic metamorphosis by Cassie McQuater; mesmerizing generative landscapes by Alfredo Salazar-Caro, Harvey Moon, Rick Silva and Nicolas Sassoon; Rodell Warner’s shimmering 3D archive of endangered aquatic plant species; and Leo Castañeda’s imagined domain of sentient Mangroves.
Sea Change weaves together artificial intelligence, simulation, and identity to illuminate our precarious position amidst imminent seismic societal, cultural, and existential shifts. Spanning generative art, animated GIFs, video games, 3D experimental films and virtual reality, the stylistically diverse survey offers a vivid sample of how artists critically and creatively engage technology today.
The interactive format enables viewers to fluidly toggle between works in an immersive contemporary art experience. By showcasing simulations, gaming, and online art, Sea Change sparks vital dialogue around power, tech, and imagery in the 21st century.
LINK: Sea Change
EVENT: HUI WAI-KEUNG (FEBRUARY 16 - 29 2024, ONLINE)
Parallel V
digital video, single-channel-projection, color, sound, 26’ 14”, 2023, Hong Kong
Created by Hui Wai-Keung
World premiere
Conceived by Hui Wai-Keung as a tribute to Harun Farocki, Parallel V is a continuation of his seminal Parallel I-IV series investigating the operational logic of computer games. The point of departure for Hui is a statement by the late German director on the computer-controller characters’ tendency to repeat the same actions over and over again: “This tragedy revealed the limitations of human freedom of action”. Hui discovered that all NPCs seem trapped in a time-space bond with the player, a relationship of ontological dependence. NPCs live life-like existences; repetitions are inevitable in their simulated lives. And yet, Hui suggests, the algorithmic bounds of games are not absolute, and NPCs still encounter contingencies. Thus, both NPCs and human beings might be better off following Friedrich Nietzsche’s admonition, embracing rather than rejecting repetition.
Hui Wai-Keung is a Hong Kong-born cross-disciplinary artist currently pursuing a PhD in Art Creation and Theory at Tainan National University of the Arts in Taiwan. Hui received his MFA from the School of Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong and studied at the Hong Kong Art School. In recent years he has focused especially on game art and algorithmic art, exploring visual possibilities in digital hyperspace. Hui has exhibited widely in solo and group shows in Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Finland, Italy and the USA. Hui has completed artist residencies in Germany, Finland, South Korea, and Japan. Currently based in Taiwan, Hui continues to exhibit and conduct research into narrative, algorithms, possibility, contingency, reenactment, and history.