NEXT TALK: Immersive Delights - Exploring the Art of Storytelling

Immerse yourself in an evening dedicated to the diverse ways of captivating storytelling! We'll delve into the latest trends, discuss do's and don'ts, and gain firsthand insights into creating immersive experiences. Special guests for the evening include creative storytelling pioneers Jongsma + O’Neill and Matunda Groenendijk, an alumnus of Next Talent and XR artist. Jongsma + O’Neill, a creative partnership between American director and artist Kel O’Neill and Dutch creative director and producer Eline Jongsma, creates large-scale storytelling projects that utilize advanced technology to explore the impact of history on society. Their exhibition "Loot – 10 stories", displayed from 2023 to 2025 at the Mauritshuis in The Hague and the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, employs virtual reality and immersive experience design to explore themes of looted art and restitution. The exhibition won the Körber-Stiftung XR History Award in 2024 and received a High Commendation from the Museums+Heritage Awards in 2025. In 2022, they won the IDFA DocLab Creative Technology Award for their Instagram-based documentary and AR project "His Name is My Name" and received the Tim Hetherington Visionary Award for their VR documentary "The Ark". They have been nominated for an Emmy, received an honorable mention at the Webby Awards, and were Artists in Residence at the Sundance New Frontier Program. Their films and experiences have been showcased at internationally renowned venues such as the Tribeca Film Festival, The New York Film Festival, SXSW, and REDCAT, and have been acquired by platforms and networks like Hulu, PBS/POV, VPRO, and Meta VR. Matunda Groenendijk is a Dutch 3D artist specializing in creating VR experiences. She graduated cum laude from the St. Joost School of Art & Design in 2021 and is now part of the collective Studio APVIS, known for immersive and VR projects like "The Imaginary Friend", "De Lusten van Engelbrecht", "Mixologist", and "Vincent’s Home". Matunda has collaborated with Cinedans, Cinekid, and exhibited at Playgrounds, JEFF, Manchester Animation Festival, Kaboom, Stedelijk Museum Breda, and the Grachtenmuseum Amsterdam. Recently, she worked on "Lacuna"—a hybrid VR documentary that premiered internationally at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025 and competed in the Immersive Competition. With her work, Matunda aims to connect people by offering them a different perspective on our world, bringing the physical world into the digital domain. During the Next Talk, she will share her creative process in creating "Cycle", a VR poem developed alongside Amit Palgi. "Cycle" is a philosophical ten-minute VR experience that exposes the hidden patterns of life through dance, animation, and music. Matunda began working on "Cycle" during her time with Next.