The jury for the 79th Festival de Cannes Immersive Competition has been revealed.
The Immersive Competition Jury will be chaired by Franco-Spanish artistic director Blanca Li, who will be joined by French director Céline Tricart, Dutch composer and director Michel van der Aa, English director and producer Mary Matheson, and Taiwanese director Hsin-Chien Huang.
Dedicated to honouring the year’s “most innovative storytelling”, the jury will present the Best Immersive Work award on 21 May at the Plage des Palmes.
More information on each of the jury members – provided by Cannes – is below.
BLANCA LI – President
Franco-Spanish choreographer, dancer, actress, and filmmaker Blanca Li is a major figure on the contemporary arts scene, known for her bold and innovative approach.
She created Le Bal de Paris, which won the Best VR Experience Lion at the Venice Film Festival (2021), and L’Ombre at IRCAM, a mixed-reality performance selected in competition at the Venice Film Festival (2025).
CÉLINE TRICART
Céline Tricart is an internationally acclaimed director and producer, expert in new technologies such as VR and AR. Her work has been featured at festivals such as Sundance, Venice, Tribeca, SXSW, and HotDocs.
She earned a Lion at the Venice Film Festival (2019) and the Storyscapes Award at Tribeca (2019) for the VR experience The Key.
MICHEL VAN DER AA
Composer Van der Aa has received international acclaim; his work has been performed in over 45 countries and he has won many awards, including the Grawemeyer Award (2013), Johannes Vermeer Prize (2015) and the International Opera Award (2022) for his production Upload.
His VR opera From Dust was awarded Best Immersive Work at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2025.
MARY MATHESON
Head of Production Mary Matheson is a multi-award-winning immersive director and producer known for using XR storytelling to drive social impact.
Mary’s interactive VR experience on the Yazidis in northern Iraq earned the 2022 VR Award and 2023 Telly Award for Social Impact.
HSIN-CHIEN HUANG
Hsin-Chien Huang is a globally acclaimed new media artist exploring the convergence of art, technology, and immersive storytelling.
His works have been exhibited in over 50 countries and recognised with major international honours, including Best VR Experience at the Venice Film Festival, Best VR Story at Cannes XR, the Masque d’Or at NewImages Festival, an Honorary Mention at Ars Electronica, and Creator of the Year at the XR Must Awards.
More information is available on the Cannes website.
