www.fulldome-festival.de

PROGRAM

Jena FullDome Festival – IPS Special & IMERSA Day
Best of new Fulldome Films
This section features a best-of selection of fulldome films from the 18th Jena FullDome
Festival, nominated for a JANUS-Award by the international expert jury. Producers andartists present in Jena will be introduced by the session moderator. Excitement grows
when the winners of the 2024 JANUS-Awards in 9 categories will be revealed.

Fulldome Festival Live Performances
The Jena FullDome Festival has been pioneering the art of immersive live performancein the dome. The IPS delegates will be treated to extraordinary samples of music, theatre and 360-stage performances in the evening program. Shows include the world
premiere of the immersive Music Theatre The Grey Cloth on opening night, July 18th
and an extravagant live concert on closing night, July 20, jointly presented by IMERSA
and FullDome Festival Foundation.

Frameless Forum Panel
The panel engages committed individuals from the Planetarium and Immersive Media
scene in moderated conversations. Panelists are invited to introduce themselves with asample of their work followed by panel discussion.

IMERSA-Day
A special IMERSA Day will be held on July 20th. Where better to hold this workshop
than at the home of the FullDome Festival: the Zeiss-Planetarium Jena? Here, attendees will immerse themselves (no pun intended) in the world of fulldome and explore
new and best practices in immersive media, spatial audio and related genres. The day
will culminate with a combined FullDome Festival & IMERSA gala event and live concert!
MICKY REMANNLIESE ENDLERROBERT METZNER

STEFAN HARNISCHKATE LEDINA

MOHAMMAD JARADAT

NADINE SPINDLERCONTENTJURY 2024

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THURSDAY, JULY 18th

5

FRIDAY, JULY 19th

12

JANUS AWARD CEREMONY

23

SATURDAY, JULY 20th

24

JURY
2024
Three international experts viewed and assessed all FullDome Festival
submissions and picked the best for the JANUS-Awards. The nominees for the2024 JANUS-Awards were announced May 25th in the nomination gala of the
FullDome Festival.
The JANUS-Award ceremony will take place as a spart of the IPS conference on
July 19th. 2024, 7 p.m. EST. Whatever the jury decides will be kept top secret until
the official announcements of nominees and Award winners.
We are honored and thankful that these three individuals dedicate their time andexpertise to serve in the 2024 jury.

DAN TELL

DR. MICHAELA FRENCHDan Tell is Manager of Planetarium Engineering for the Alexander
F. Morrison Planetarium, Hohfeld
Hall and immersive venues at the
California Academy of Sciencesin San Francisco. His planetarium
career has focused on empowering
presentations
throughtechnology and integration ofastronomical data into simulation
software systems. Dan has served
as president of the Great Lakes
Planetarium Association. He has
had a hand in creating countless
immersive live shows, events andlectures, including collaborative
projects with planetariums aroundthe world and with other immersive venues.

Dr. Michaela French is an artist,
lecturer and researcher working
with light and time-based media
across a broad range of artistic
contexts. Her artistic practice isgrounded in an ecological systems-based approach. Michaela
has worked in the fulldome sector for over twenty years. She collaborated on the world’s first 360°
fulldome video artistic research
project and has written, directed
and designed award-winning
fulldome films. Michaela is acommitted advocate for the creative potential of fulldome as an
artistic medium, and is co-founder and chair of the Fulldome Creative Network.

RALPH HEINSOHN

Ralph Heinsohn is professor foraudiovisual media at Aalen University in Germany. As a Designer,
Producer und Curator of immersive
Media he has produced awardwinning fulldome-shows, founded
and directed the section of immersive media at one of germanys oldest film festivals, the Nordic Film
Days Lübeck. Until March 2023 he
was Creative Director of the Science Dome at Germany’s largest
science center, the experimenta
Heilbronn. His focus is the strategic
development of immersive media
and their implementation in enterprises, culture and science communication.

Our festival jury will choose the winners of the JANUS-Awards in these categories:
Best Fulldome Short, Best Fulldome Feature, Best Fulldome Art and Experiment, Best Fulldome New Talent,
Best Fulldome Science, Best Fulldome Education, Best Fulldome Innovation and Special Jury Selection.
The Fulldome Audio Award will be decided by sound specialist Josua Hagedorn.
The Fulldome Live Act Award will be decided by the festival directors.

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THURSDAYJULY 18th5

PROGRAMAT A
GLANCETHURSDAY, July 18th
CET

6

10:00, 11:00 &12:00

Thematische Stadtrundgänge„Zeiss - Abbe -Schott“

14:00

IPS FullDome Festival Official Opening

14:15-15:30

FRAMELESS FORUM PANEL I
The science of excitementwith Dr. Helen Ahner, Nils Merten, Prof. Dr. Isabella Beyer,
André Wünscher, Hendrik Huthoff

16:00 - 18:30

BEST OF NEW FULLDOME FILMS - Part I
Into the Microverse - Journey through the
Amazing World of Microbes
Inwardness
Dark Biosphere
100 years of eternity
I spreadNiyah and the multiverse
PAX RATA FIAT
Recoding Entropia

19:30

THE GREY CLOTH
Immersive music theatre- The exact schedule may vary -FRAMELESS FORUM

FRAMELESS FORUMPANEL ITHURSDAY, JULY 18th
14:00
THE SCIENCE OF EXCITEMENT
Moderated by Alexandra Wolf
How does science communication relate to a sense of wonder and the joy of exploring, whencombined with hands-on experimentation?
Show by French filmmaker Michel Ocelot

PANELISTS
Dr. Helen Ahner

The title of her book encapsulates the essence of this panel: „Planetariums: Wonders oftechnology - techniques of wonder“ In the German original Planetarien: Wunder der Technik - Techniken des Wunderns. Dr. Ahner works at the Max-Planck-Institute for Educational
Research, Research area History of Emotions.

Nils MertenSound of the Future: Immersive Audio for Headphone. Nils Merten from the team of legendary
audio pioneer Prof. Karls-Heinz Brandenburg discusses the creation of an immersive audio experience for headphones Brandenburg Labs takes on these challenges by developing cuttingedge algorithms and using the latest research on psychoacoustics.

Prof. Dr. Isabella Beyer

Immersive Medien und Transmedia. Isabella graduated from the Muthesius University of Fine
Arts and Design in Kiel and completed her Master’s degree at Monash University in Melbourne(Australia). She worked in numerous academic and private sector positions and completed her
doctorate on the subject of “Le Passage - Towards a Concept of a 360° Knowledge Instrument”
at Plymouth University, Plymouth, England.

André Wünscher

Dome Tools at the Speed of Thought. Imagine crafting fulldome content in real-time — easy,
free, and collaborative! Introducing: Our plug-and-play package for Unity boosts both traditional cubemap rendering and a novel DomeWarp technique for maximum performance, andmore control than ever before.

Hendrik Huthoff

Excitement in the Microverse! Hendrik initiated the fulldome film Into the Microverse-Journey
through the Amazing World of Microbes, nominated for a JANUS-Award, The film’s objective
is to edutain lay audiences of all ages and impress on them the message that the future ofhumanity depends on understanding and working together with the tiniest life forms on ourplanet: the microbes.

7BEST OF NEW
FULLDOME FILMS

PART I

8BEST OF NEW
FULLDOME FILMS

INTO THE MICROVERSEJOURNEY
THROUGH
WORLD OF MICROBESTHE

AMAZING

Raúl Erdossy, Hendrik Huthoff
Germany 2023 (16 min)
The AI-drone C.A.R.L. (Completely Automated Researcher
of Life) is sent on a mission to discover how microbes, thetiniest life forms on Earth, can help secure a sustainable
future. Together with his ally C.A.R.L.A., they go on an exciting journey, exploring plants, animals and the atmosphere.
They discover how microbes help plants and animals to
grow, provide clean drinking water, and the air we breathe…
in the end, we experience the wonder and beauty of the
microverse!
SHORT FILM

INWARDNESSSULFATION: Nemati Meisam, Schokuhfar
FarshadCanada/Germany 2023 (7 min)Inwardness is an abstract and narrative short movie thattakes the audience to the journey through 8 unique universes. A very special method is used to navigate the camera in 360 environment through pairing the camera witha gaming setup and then navigating through universes
in real-time, making the movements, shifts and turn verysmooth and organic. Inspired by “The Sirens of Titan”, abook by American science-fiction novelist, Kurt Vonnegut,
the narration touches on the idea that us, human being, arebetter off exploring inward and through the depth of hissoul rather than outside of his existence to find a meaning
for this life.
SHORT FILMDARK BIOSPHERE
Javier Bollain
Spain 2024 (27 min)Deep beneath the earth’s crust, with no light, no air, andvery little water, in fissures of hard rock, scientists havefound an enormous biodiversity of micro-organisms thatthrive in extreme conditions. The Dark Biosphere challenges everything we thought we knew and challenges us torethink not only the origin and evolution of life on Earth but
its possible existence throughout the Universe.
FEATURE FILM

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BEST OF NEW
FULLDOME FILMS

100 YEARS OF ETERNITY
Tobias Wiethoff, Felix Deufel
Germany 2023 (36 min)Hardly anything has shaped the history of civilization as
much as man’s confrontation with the heavens. Megalithic stone circles bear witness to this, as do the astronomical origins of science in ancient Greece or the technicalprinciples of modern high seas navigation. Even prehistoric sites tell of the important role the heavens have always played for people, whether in their practical everyday lives or as a repository for mythological imaginings
spanning the generations.
FEATURE FILMI SPREAD
Alejandra Rios Ruiz, Mexico 2023 (6 min)Based on scientific experiments, this project explores thepossibility of trees as bioluminescent entities. Reflecting
about “synthetic biomes”, or the human manipulation of
ecosystems, physical modeling synthesis was employed,
to simulate the sounds of hypothetical biological systems based on their real physical qualities. The project
aims to create biological, synthetic sonic environments,
prompting reflection on our ability to give shape andvoice to the imaginary in the context of our interaction
with the physical world.
NEW TALENTNIYAH AND THE MULTIVERSE
Adler Planetarium
USA 2024 (26 min)
Follow Niyah, an imaginative Chicago pre-teen, on a visuallystunning Afrofuturist journey through the multiverse! If there
are countless universes out there, where does Niyah fit in? Whatabout you? Niyah has a lot of questions about space and time.
How can a special mask help us understand who we are in theworld? Do we really need ALL the laws of physics? How is themultiverse like the blues?
FEATURE FILM

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BEST OF NEW
FULLDOME FILMS

PAX RATA FIATMASSO, 1V4N, Spain2023 (6 min)Pax Rata Fiat narrates a fascinating journey through flowers and plants, highlighting the importance of preserving
and caring for our connection to the forest. The common
thread of the narrative is the making of ratafia, a traditional
Catalan liqueur, and an abstract vision of its ingredients.
SHORT FILM

RECODING ENTROPIA
François Vautier, France 2023 (9 min)In the heart of nothingness, on the horizon of infinite space
and unfathomable time, wanders an imposing geometry.
An immense tetrahedron that will soon break up and scatter, delivering a mysterious message through its changing
shape.
SHORT FILMWORLD PREMIERE

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WORLD
PREMIERE

Thursday May 18th, 19:30 CETWorld premiere of the immersive music theatre The Grey Cloth. IPS delegates will betreated to a spectacular live performance produced by the Jena and Weimar teams thathave pioneered 360° stage performances, together with fulldome artists and students,
musicians, performers and innovators. The play is based on a novel by visionary author
Paul Scheerbart, who envisioned fantastic worlds around the same the modern Planetarium was conceived. The audience in the Jena Planetarium – and live stream audiences
around the world – will travel around the world in a luxurious airship visiting strange andwonderful sites and parties. The colorful adventures of The Grey Cloth were written in
Pre-First World times and projected into a future that might have been our present times.

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If you are not physically in Jena, you may get a ticket for the live stream of the show:https://ticket.fulldome-festival.de/event/the-gray-cloth/FRIDAYJULY 19th13

PROGRAMAT A
GLANCEFRIDAY, July 19th
CET
09:00-10:30

1

14

BEST OF NEW FULLDOME FILMS - Part II
Spark: The Universe in Us
Dialogue in Silence
The Voyage of Arka Kinari„Into the Microverse - Journey through the
Amazing World of Microbes“

11:00-12:30

FRAMELESS FORUM PANEL II
All the dome‘s a stage!
with Kate McCallum, Tobias Staab, Markus Beyr, LieseEndler, Prof. Dr. Michael Markert, Sergey Prokofyev

14:00-15:30

BEST OF NEW FULLDOME FILMS - Part III
Chemistry of Life
Total Eclipse: Chasers of the Lost Sleep
BAD TRIP

16:00-17:00

BEST OF NEW FULLDOME FILMS - Part IV
Secrets from a Forest
Links-Rechts
I Saw The Future

17:00-18:00

THE STELLARSWorld Premiere

19:00

JANUS AWARD CEREMONY

20:00

FUSION - Energy of the Stars
Fulldome Live Performance- The exact schedule may vary -BEST OF NEW
FULLDOME FILMS

PART II

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BEST OF NEW
FULLDOME FILMSSPARK: THE UNIVERSE IN US
Ryan Wyatt, Matt Blackwell
USA 2023 (24 min)Travel inside a giant star nearing the end of its life, witness stellar corpses colliding, and experience the quiet demise of a Sunlike star. From the air we breathe to the ground we stand on,
we owe it all to the stars. Narrated by Diego Luna, ”Spark: The
Universe in Us” explores how hundreds of millions of celestial
events have forged the elements that make up the Solar System, Earth—and us!
FEATURE FILMDIALOGUE IN SILENCE
Chih-Jung Hsu, Chia-Yi Shih, Hua-Yen Pan, ChiaHsiang Lee, Taiwan 2023 (5 min)In the silence, thoughts intersect, and dance becomes a wordless conversation. Interpreted through dance, language remains silent, with movements and stillness intertwining. Using
motion as words and dance as chapters.Music presents various
sounds, and for each moment of hearing a sound, it seeks another form, tone, or dynamic analogy.
NEW TALENT

THE VOYAGE OF ARKA KINARI
Janire Najera, 4Pi Productions
United Kingdom 2023 (39 min)An immersive documentary film about the extraordinary journey aboard the 70-ton sailing ship, Arka Kinari, ingeniouslytransformed into a cultural platform to amplify the urgent callfor action on the climate crisis. Embark on a cinematic experience where art, music, and environmental advocacy seamlessly converge.
FEATURE FILM

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FRAMELESS FORUM

FRAMELESS FORUMPANEL IIFRIDAY, JULY 19th

11:00
ALL THE DOME‘S A STAGE!
Moderated by Alexandra Wolf
Some call the Planetarium a Star theatre. What happens when the “real” theatre occupies thePlanetarium? Exploring strategies of making immersion awesome, popular and profitable.

PANELISTS
Kate McCallum

She co-founded Vortex Immersion in LA and continues to create and produce art of the immersive kind. Currently she is involved in “Her mind’s Eye” a fulldome film on the mystic nun
Hildegard von Bingen.

Tobias Staab

He directed Autonomous Avatars Dance Performance choreographing real dancers in the realdome.

Markus Beyr

Immersive Themes and Attractions. Marcus‘ expertise is in creating immersive attractions, likethe Immersium in Vienna.

Liese Endler

Gesamtkunstwerk Immersive Music Theatre. As a teacher and media artist Liese has been active in the struggle and rise of immersive theatre in Weimar and Jena and its promise for the
future.

Prof. Dr. Michael Markert

Ai-Aided Design for Immersive Media. Everyone wants to know this: can AI help creative people in their production needs. Michael has scrutinized and reports about available systems .

Sergey Prokofyev

Immersive Architecture. Sergey is an architect and award winning fulldome producer. He is
involved in a number of immersive music theatre projects.

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BEST OF NEW
FULLDOME FILMS

PART III18

BEST OF NEW
FULLDOME FILMSCHEMISTRY OF LIFE
Anna Öst, Drew Berry
Sweden 2023 (32 min)Chemistry of Life makes the biomolecular world more
concrete and accessible through cutting edge molecularvisualizations. The production focuses on connecting theprocesses associated with being alive - breathing, eating
and thinking, with biochemical processes in the body’s
cells. With the help of dynamic animations based on
research data, we can not only show what the researchhas discovered, but we can travel into the data and geta deeper understanding of the invisible world that exists
inside all of us.
FEATURE FILM

TOTAL ECLIPSE: CHASERS OF THE LOSTSLEEP
François Guinaudeau, Sébastien Samyn
Canada 2023 (30 min)
Follow Kentucky—an insomniac hen and social media
star who lives on the Moon—in her adventures to demystify solar eclipses! With help from JOS, her whimsicalandroid sidekick, she embarks on a space-time journey
to Earth to find the perfect solar eclipse that will finallyhelp her get some sleep. Join them on their journey todiscover the perfect conditions to witness this unique
phenomenon, in an immersive and wacky show at the
Planétarium.
FEATURE FILMWORLD PREMIEREBAD TRIP
Emese Pálovics, Bianca Faddi
USA 2023 (9 min)
The BAD TRIP is an immersive narrative installation thatcan serve as a conversation starter about generation
gaps and the traumas they cause. The viewer follows theprotagonist through a ‘bad trip-like’ series of events, exploring the memories of his childhood home, guided bystrange creatures. As he goes deeper in his home and in
his consciousness, he must confront the crux of the problem.
NEW TALENT

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BEST OF NEW
FULLDOME FILMS

PART IV

20

BEST OF NEW
FULLDOME FILMS

SECRETS FROM A FOREST
Jim Brandenburg, USA 2023 (26 min)Secrets from a Forest tells an inspiring story of the intimate
relationship between artistic expression and the natural
world. Audiences explore the “singing spruce” in Italy’s Paneveggio Forest, the source of wood for the Stradivarius violin,encounter the creation of this remarkable instrument inside
a violin maker’s studio, and are transported to a concert hallto hear the thrilling and powerful result of this delicate dance
between human beings and nature.
FEATURE FILMWORLD PREMIERE

LINKS-RECHTS
Benedikt Pfisterer
Poland, Austria 2023 (4 min)Visuals for a live performance of a unique duo - Drumbadour:
Robert Prosser (slam poet) and Lan Sticker (drummer). The
rough rhythm sparring is represented by black-and-whitegraphics built solely of typography. Each chapter of the boxing story was designed and animated by another student,with the use of various experimental techniques involving
real-time audio-reactive 3D graphics.
NEW TALENTI SAW THE FUTURE
François Vautier, France 2023 (6 min)
In 1964, Arthur C. Clarke revealed his vision of the future to
the BBC cameras. Famous for having collaborated with Stanley Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey, the British author
projected with astonishing precision the mutations brought
about by the advent of the digital age. He glimpses the Internet, artificial intelligence, transhumanism and extends his vision far into space through future interstellar travel. By revisiting the signal transmitted by these first cathode-ray images,
this experimental film in 3D virtual reality literally plunges us
into the sound and visual matrix at the heart of this archive.
I Saw The Future immerses viewers in a three-dimensional
space that echoes the futuristic predictions of a visionary humanist scientist.
SHORT FILMWORLD PREMIERE

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WORLD
PREMIERE

Friday July 19th, 17:00 CETIMANI, AKI, and JOHN step out of their comfort zone, embarking on critical mission topreserve their unique forest.
Introducing THE STELLARS from Creative Planet, a cinema-quality CGI animatedmovie designed with the youngest audiences in mind. This production is more than justentertainment; it weaves important educational themes into a character-driven story. It’s
the perfect blend of fun and learning, carefully crafted to spark the imagination and curiosity of young kids. The characters even break the “fourth wall” several times throughthe movie, to directly engage with the audience about their ideas.
The educational content of the movie explores the essentials necessary for plant
growth, the diversity of Earth’s ecosystems, and the critical role of forests as habitats.
It underscores our bond with nature and our role in preserving it, along with the importance of the scientific method in understanding our world.

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JANUS
AWARD

JANUS AWARD
CEREMONYFRIDAY July 19th, 19:00 CET
Announcing the winners of the 2024 FullDome Festival, live at
the IPS-conference in the Zeiss-Planetarium Jena.

FUSION - ENERGY OF THE STARS

Friday, July 19th, 20:00 CET
Soniﬁcation and Visualization of Nuclear Fusion Data from „Institute of Plasma Physics“, Special Guest: Prof. Zohm, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP), Garching

23

SATURDAYJULY 20th24

IMERSADAY

SATURDAY, July 20th
CET
09:00

MORNING SESSION
with Dan Neafus, KaChun Yu, Ryan Wyatt, Michael
Daut, Monica Bolles, Julieta Aguilera

14:00

AFTERNOON SESSION
with Joshua Sam Miller, Tom Ammermann, Sebastian
Gauthier, Rocco Helmchen & Johannes Kraas, Tim
Florian Horn, Björn Voss, et alii

20:00

IMERSA DAY & FULLDOME FESTIVAL LIVE CONCERT

22:30

IPS Aftershowparty Illusive sphere: 12INCHKID- The exact schedule may vary -25

IMERSADAY
SATURDAY
July 20th

09:00 MORNING SESSIONS
with Dan Neafus, KaChun Yu, Ryan Wyatt, Michael Daut, Monica Bolles,
Julieta Aguilera
25 Years of Fulldome: Personal revelations about what makes dome experiences so special.
Demonstrations and discussion.
Luminaries of Fulldome & Fulldome Shorts
Fulldome announcements:
Best of Earth Fulldome Cooperative, Ryan Moore
One Earth Moment Equinox project, Micky Remann

14:00 AFTERNOON SESSIONS
with Joshua Sam Miller, Tom Ammermann, Sebastian Gauthier, Rocco
Helmchen & Johannes Kraas, Tim Florian Horn, Björn Voss, et alii
Spheres of Influence. The dome as communal gathering places. Hear from leaders whostrengthen relationships with their communities. Panel with dome demonstrations.
Creative Pioneers
Fulldome Innovators. Selected presenters and demonstrations

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GRAND
FINALEFESTIVAL CONCERTAFTERSHOW PART Y

IMERSA Day & FullDome Festival Live Concert
Saturday, July 20th 20:00
IMERSA Day & FullDome Festival Live Concert
The immersive grand finale of the Jena part of the IPS conference, jointly presented by
the FullDome Festival and IMERSA. Enjoy an extraordinary live performance with artists
Martin Hübner, Linda Trillhaase, Ive Kanew, Illuminator art and 360° dome visuals.

ILLUSIVE SPHERE: 12INCHKID
Saturday, July 20th 22:30
Experience a fascinating journey through soundscapes in the unique ambience of theplanetarium.The combination of DJ 12INCHKID’s hypnotic drone ambient downbeatmusic with live visuals in the dome promises an immersive experience. Imagine how
the abstract shapes and colors move in sync with the music and bring you to anotherdimension. A musical experience from outa space.

27

Producer
Fulldome Festival Foundation
Venue
Zeiss-Planetarium Jena
Am Planetarium 507743 Jena, Germany
Informationwww.fulldome-festival.de
E-Mail: r.metzner@fulldome-festival.de
www.tickets.fulldome-festival.net/
Festival Team
Micky Remann, Robert Metzner, Kate Ledina,
Liese Endler, Stefan Harnisch,
Mohammad Jaradat, Nadine Spindler

Exclusive Partner