Research Cultural Immersive ProductionsResearch Cultural Immersive Productions

Since 2019, the Creative Industries Fund NL and the Filmfonds have been working together to strengthen the immersive, interactive media climate. The focus of this collaboration is on the development and realisation of cultural media productions, such as VR, AR, 360-degree film and interactive installations. The Netherlands lacks a strong distribution network and a financial business model for cultural immersive media productions. The funds aim to stimulate the distribution and visibility of these productions.

That is why, in 2024, work was done on a structural scheme specifically aimed at providing an (additional) contribution to improving visibility and screening infrastructure in the Netherlands. This process started in December 2023 with a pilot. The results of this pilot were incorporated into the final scheme, which was launched in the autumn of 2024.

In the Pilot Vouchers for Cultural Immersive Productions, 33 applications received a voucher. Creators, producers and institutions were all eligible for a voucher. The scheme had a total budget of €260,000 and was aimed at creators, producers, festivals and presentation institutions that distribute and promote Dutch immersive media productions.

Parallel to the voucher scheme, a research project was carried out by Moonshot Digital Culture and Nieuwe Instituut with support from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, in collaboration with external researchers and a project leader. The research project consists of two parts.

The first part focused on mapping the effects of support within the Cultural Immersive Productions voucher scheme and making recommendations for the follow-up to the pilot in the autumn of 2024. To this end, the applications, awards and rejections within the scheme were analysed. For this research, the Nieuwe Instituut, in collaboration with Moonshot Digitale Cultuur, distributed questionnaires to applicants and people who were aware of the scheme but did not apply.

The second part of the study takes a broader look at the voucher scheme and the ultimate experiences with it. This study also captures the perspectives of creators, producers, festivals and presentation institutions and provides an opportunity to look at international best practices. The results of this study should lead to concrete recommendations for improving the visibility of the digital culture sector and the necessary infrastructure for distribution.