VR EFFECT! Virtual Reality Cinema

Virtual Reality has landed at the National Museum of Cinema.

The National Museum of Cinema hosts CineVR in the Aula del Tempio — a brand-new area dedicated to virtual reality. Created in collaboration with Rai Cinema, the project aims to promote digital culture, innovation, and new technologies related to the world of film. CineVR is Italy’s first permanent movie theatre entirely devoted to VR, featuring a daily program of films designed and conceived specifically for this immersive medium. The lineup is updated monthly with new titles and also includes temporary selections presented during festivals and special events.

Programme

CineVR2 | Until May 4, 2026

Simone “Funi” Fougnier (FuniLab)

Tales from Soda Island

(USA 2021-2023, 7 capitoli, VR360°, col., v.o.) 

The National Cinema Museum presents Tales from Soda Island, an immersive VR series created by Simone “Funi” Fougnier and produced by Studio Syro for Meta. From February to May, two episodes per month will be screened in the CineVR2, leading up to the grand finale of the seventh chapter. Entirely crafted in VR using Quill software, the series unfolds as a collection of short experiences set on an imaginary island, where everyday moments slip into myth and dream. Viewers are positioned as witnesses, moving through hand-drawn, living illustrations that envelop them at 360°, guided by music, sound, and gestures. The project elevates virtual reality as a poetic and narrative medium, blending animation, cinema, and sound design to create intimate worlds that feel both personal and collective. An immersive journey through the intricate musical ecosystem of Soda Island: amid multiverse bakeries, neon jungles, strange creatures, and cosmic symphonies, you'll witness a story unlike anything you've ever seen before.

Simone “Funi” Fougnier, known as Funilab, is a visual artist and immersive director working between sound, image, and virtual reality, which he discovered in 2017. That same year, he co-founded Studio Syro, a collective pioneering hand-painted storytelling in VR. His works, including Tales from Soda Island and The Art of Change, have been presented at major international events and venues such as Venice Immersive, SXSW, the Dubai Museum of the Future, and festivals worldwide.

Chapter 1 - The Multiverse Bakery – 6’ [Trailer]

The journey to Soda Island begins. In the first chapter of the series, The Multiverse Bakery, viewers witness a strange ritual involving shifting rooms, magical chaos, and cosmic delights.

Chapter 2 – The Neon Jungle – 11’ [Trailer]

The journey through Soda Island continues with an adventure across the Neon Jungle, following a Tadpolotl on its mission to deliver a package through the jungle’s twisted depths.

Chapter 3 – The Quantum Race – 11’ [Trailer]

At last, the big day has arrived! Sodians from all over the island gather to watch the best drivers compete at the Quantum Circuit. Experience the thrill of high-octane speed and molecular deconstruction as the racers speed along a subatomic track to claim the top prize.

Chapter 4 – The Golden Record – 17’ [Trailer]

Deep within the isolated Ant Megacolony lives TT, a solitary worker trapped in the oppressive machinery of productivity. His monotonous routine is disrupted by the discovery of an alien artifact fallen from the stars.

Chapter 5 – The School Trip – 13’ [Trailer]

Observe the wonders of Sodian science! Follow a single drop of glucose rain on its transformative journey across the island, as the complex ecosystem processes it into a delicious sweet and fizzy drink.

Chapter 6 – Silence – 14’ [Trailer]

As night falls over Soda Island, the Sodians gather along the shore to perform a mystical ritual. But when their celebration is interrupted by an unwelcome visitor, a chain of events is set in motion that will plunge the island into total dissonance.

_______________________

CineVR is included in the Museum admission ticket.

Due to the immersive technology of VR devices, the use of VR headsets is allowed only to people over 12 and is not recommended to pregnant women, people with epilepsy, heart or visual conditions, and people with pace-makers, cochlear implants, hearing aids.