MYSTIS
Mystis is a 20 minutes cinematic Virtual Reality experience in development blending art, myth, fantasy, and themes of grief and loss. Crafted from paper worlds, Mystis unfolds as a symbolic journey through a mystical underworld.
Mystis draws from the Eleusinian Mysteries and the myth of descent and return, but invites participants to walk their own rite of passage and transformation. It is meant to feel like a deeply meditative, a complete feast for the senses, and despite the darkness of the theme to leave the viewer with a deep sense of awe and hope. Mystis invites players into a mythical quest through a richly symbolic Underworld - which holds so much resonance and power in our psyches and mythologies, and will explore how grief weaves through our lives as one of the most powerful, painful and universal human experiences.
Mystis has had a significant journey of recognition which includes:
Selected for BFI's Develop Create XR program, a genre-driven immersive script development lab supported by the BFI Creative Challenge Fund.
Selection to both workshops of the Venice Biennale College Cinema - Immersive.
A short VR prototype of Mystis placed second in the Immersive Film and Storytelling track, of the global hackathon XRCC, selected from 164 shortlisted projects out of over 3,400 participants and 150 finalist teams.
Mystis was selected as one of five projects for Agora XR Lab 2026, an international XR development lab taking place during Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival.
Mystis was selected at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival for the Pitch MIFA in 2026 and won the Alhambra Prize.
Mystis is selected to be a part of the Venice Gap Financing Market in 2026, at the Venice International Film Festival.
Mystis is the recipient of the Villa Formose residency, a bilateral France-Taiwan XR residency (CENTQUATRE-PARIS, CNC, TAICCA) supporting the development and prototyping of immersive works.
