Lightroom Expanded

• Lightroom Expanded is intended for artistic immersive or interactive projects where reaching larger or shared audiences, enabling repeatable presentation or touring across different venues is central to the artistic vision, presentation model or distribution ambition.
• The project may be fiction, documentary, animation, experimental, performance-based or hybrid. Projects that primarily promote a product or service are not eligible.
• The call is open to creators and producers worldwide.
• Eligible formats include VR, AR, MR, 360° and 180° video, location-based experiences, WebXR, and other immersive or spatial-media formats.
• Projects may be in development, pre-production or production. Existing works may apply when they are being substantially adapted or developed for a new scalable, repeatable or tourable presentation model.
• The project must address a clearly defined artistic, audience-related, technical, operational or distribution challenge connected to scalability.
• Projects new to the international market will be prioritised. Previously presented projects may apply when they have developed substantially since their earlier presentation.
• Applicants must disclose all previous and planned presentations at markets, labs, festivals, museums, theatres and other professional platforms.
• The same project may only be resubmitted in a later year when it has developed substantially since its previous application.
• All application materials must be submitted in English. Audiovisual material in another language must include English subtitles.
• Applications that are incomplete, inaccurate or do not meet the eligibility requirements may be excluded.
• Decisions made by the selection committee are final and cannot be appealed.
• Applicants must be willing to integrate plugins into their codebase and iterate with the supporting development team on implementation.
• Applicants must have full access to their project’s source code and be free to make modifications.
• The project must be built in Unity or Unreal Engine.

The selection process for Lightroom Expanded consists of two phases.

Phase 1

• Applicants must complete the online application by 15 September 2026 at 23.59 CEST. This form will allow applicants to include detailed project information. 
• Applicants should read and accept the applicable Terms & Conditions, selection criteria and FAQ before submitting.
• The application must include a clearly defined central research or development question related to one or more of the following:
  • storytelling and audience design;
  • technical and production choices for repeatable presentation; and/or
  • audience reach, touring and distribution

Phase 2

Shortlisted applicants may be invited to provide additional or updated materials and participate in a development meeting with representatives of IFFR, UPscaleXR and DASHXR.

• If your project progresses to the next phases of consideration, you are given the opportunity to submit your full dossier by email as a PDF
• Depending on the project, this may include but is not limited to a project description or synopsis, treatment or design document, creator and producer statements, biographies, budget, financing plan, technical breakdown and riders, production timetable, audience-engagement plan and links to previous work or a prototype.
• We also ask you to include a detailed research question relating to storytelling & audience design, technological & production choices for repeatable presentation or audience reach, touring & distribution.

The selection will consider the project’s:

• artistic quality and clarity of vision
• relevance to Lightroom Expanded
• potential to reach audiences in repeatable or scalable ways
• readiness to benefit from the programme
• feasibility of the proposed development question
• commitment and capacity of the project team

• Selected projects will enter a tailored development process with IFFR, UPscaleXR and DASHXR.
• Participation requirements, programme duration and the balance between online and in-person activities will be communicated before acceptance.
• Selection does not automatically guarantee a public presentation, technical integration, production financing, touring agreement or distribution deal, unless explicitly confirmed in writing.
• Projects must provide the information and materials required for coaching, testing, evaluation, documentation and communication.

Selected projects must acknowledge Lightroom Expanded in future presentations and communications, with the following credits: 

“[Project title] participated in the Lightroom Expanded development programme, a partnership between IFFR, UPscaleXR and DASHXR, with support from Cultuurloket DigitALL.”

• Applicable partner logos must be displayed in accordance with the branding guidelines supplied to selected projects.