Open Matter Studio

Is Germany becoming Europe’s next high-end production powerhouse? 🇩🇪 With the „Investitionspakt“ and „Filmbooster“ in motion as of February 2026, Germany has shifted from a subsidy-dependent model to a sustainable, private-capital-driven ecosystem. At @openmatter.studio , we see this as a defining moment for global co-productions.  The 3-Pillar Reform: • Pillar 1: Modernized FFG: A streamlined, automated system rewarding creative performance.  • Pillar 2: Investment Obligation: Streamers & broadcasters must reinvest 8% of German revenue into local/European content.  • Pillar 3: The Filmbooster: Federal funding doubled to €250M/year via a 30% tax credit model.  Who is Impacted? 1. The „Payers“: Streaming giants (Netflix, Disney+) and broadcasters (RTL, ARD/ZDF) are the primary investors. 2. The „Beneficiaries“: Production houses benefit from guaranteed order volumes and specific sub-quotas for independents.  Why it matters for Producers: • IP Retention: The breakthrough Rights Retention (Rechterückfall) rule allows producers to regain IP rights after 3–7 years.  • Stability: This package provides the planning certainty needed for the high-end projects we are developing at @openmatter.studio For implementation deep-dives, follow @bkm_hh (Wolfram Weimer), FFA, and @produktionsallianz . How is this framework influencing your 2026 roadmap? Let’s discuss below! 👇 #FilmstandortDeutschland #CoProduction #FilmFinance #OpenMatterStudio #Filmbooster IPRetention

Start of Production: „Scratching the Surface“ Building a sustainable financing model for immersive XR relies on one core variable: growing the project through people. By securing production funding from @moinfilmfoerderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein and @fffbayern , „Scratching the Surface“ has officially transitioned from an international development tour into active production. Our team—led by @wiktor_filip_gacparski and myself—is now on-site at the @hmspl.de headquarters. Working alongside @andy_probst_ Ludwig Blankenhagen, and the founders @felixpatzke and @frankpatzke , we are establishing the technical foundations to merge Unreal Engine–based 6DoF environments with @line.hoven ‚s physical illustrations. This creative synergy is further elevated by the spatial soundscapes of @ale_giovanetto and @olivieroforni from @funny.ears.productions . We are currently refining the transition between cinematic VR captured at the Hamburger Kunsthalle and the hand-scratched „imaginarium“ of the protagonist in a 3d art world. How do you approach the balance between high-fidelity digital tools and traditional artistic intuition in spatial storytelling? We’ll keep you updated! #XR #ImmersiveStorytelling #VirtualReality #CreativeTech #OpenMatterStudio

Thank you for all the adventures and connections in 2025! It has been a long and eventful year. Full of unexpected turns, new encounters, and a growing sense of belonging within the XR film and arts community. We were lucky to meet inspiring people and reconnect with familiar projects, both internationally and here in Northern Germany, where the film and XR scenes continue to grow stronger and more connected each year. Across festivals, labs, and informal meetings, we encountered producers, visionaries, and storytellers with ideas that were honest, fragile, bold, and sometimes unresolved. From the intensity and openness of @cphdox to the vibrant energy around Krakow Film Festival, the year moved through many different rhythms. In Hamburg, the immersive focus of @vrham_biennale and @nextreality.hamburg festival grounded us locally, alongside the scriptwriting workshops from @european_writers_club during @nordicfilmdays in Lübeck. Later, these exchanges continued at @idfafestival and in Brussels at @unitedxr . It is a privilege to witness and participate in the evolution of XR formats. Craftsmanship, ingenuity, imagination, and new technologies are pushing the boundaries of visual language beyond the static frame, toward dynamic, personalised live experiences where expression and storytelling have no limits. None of this would be possible without the trust and long-term support of @moinfilmfoerderung . Their belief in our work, especially in Scratching the Surface, has been fundamental. The project has also received support from @fffbayern and is scheduled to enter production in February 2026. With this experience behind us, a strong community around, and new projects in development, we’re looking ahead with curiosity and calm excitement. Happy New Year, and see you on the way! Wiktor & Alex Open Matter Studio

Back from @unitedxr Europe in Brussels! 🇪🇺 I had an incredible time representing the North as part of the @moinfilmfoerderung delegation, @Sina Ataeian Dena @kirstenherfel @troppic66 @debbie.instastuff @meike.mara Boldt and @sonkekirchhof !. It was a huge honor to present @openmatter.studio to Europe and the world during the „Meet the Northern German Creators“ pitch session, thx MOIN for taking me along! Here are my key takeaways from an inspiring few days: The Booster We connected to some amazing new XR projects from the Booster Program. It is yet another great cohort. Thx @sylvain_grain —I’m looking forward to seeing what future collaborations might emerge from these conversations! Artistic Highlight: I was completely enchanted by „LESS THAN 5G OF SAFFRON“ by director Négar Motevalymeidanshah. I felt truly pulled into those wonderful dollhouse worlds! Industry Shifts: The announcement of the new partnership between Lenovo Workstations and Meta was a major topic. It raises the question: Is Lenovo building the „business laptop“ of VR headsets, running on Meta’s „Windows“? Oliver Wöhler have fun on this new endeavor. A massive thank you to @alex_xr_pro and @comogard bringing this great festival to life and uniting the XR community. #UnitedXR #OpenMatterStudio #XR #VirtualReality #ImmersiveStorytelling #MoinFilmFaerderung #Lenovo #Meta #TechNews

Technology Needs Artists Innovation without meaning is surface-level. Technology optimizes what can be measured; art expands what can be imagined. At @openmatter.studio , we believe artists are essential to shaping human-centered, ethical, and diverse technologies. They think beyond functions — connecting intuition, context, and experimentation to make complexity tangible and relatable. As highlighted in the @britishcouncil “Why Technology Needs Artists” report and by the Cross Innovation Hub of Hamburg @kreativgesellschaft , integrating artists into R&D doesn’t slow innovation — it deepens it. Their Cross Innovation Labs bring together sectors as diverse as aviation, energy, logistics, design, performance, and media to question habitual processes and discover new approaches. By combining creative and industrial mindsets, they demonstrate that transformation begins when disciplines collide. For the past two years, we have been developing “Scratching the Surface”, an extended reality immersive experience created with artist @line.hoven , exploring creativity, AI, and the fragile balance of co-creation between humans and machines. In practice, we have seen how much technology, hardware, and code rely on the artist’s perspective to introduce ethics, imagination, and depth — turning function into meaning. In an era defined by algorithms and automation, creativity ensures that progress remains connected to people. The intersection of art and technology is not a trend but a necessity — a space where questions matter as much as solutions. At what stage do you bring artists into your R&D cycle? #TechnologyNeedsArtists #XR #CreativeTech

Who sets the right guardrails for AI? As part of the creative community, we believe the most responsible AI emerges through interdisciplinary teams that include artists from the very beginning, not after the model has already absorbed the biases and aesthetics of existing datasets. That’s why I’m looking forward to attending AIM Leaders, Hamburg’s first AI Media Leaders Conference on 25 November 2025. The event brings together decision-makers from media, film, publishing, music, games, and e-commerce. For me, the interesting conversations will be with people like Dan Maag (Producer, Storyboard Studios) and Annabelle Jenisch (Co-CEO, TLGG Consulting). I’d like to exchange thoughts on how AI is changing film production, not only in what audiences see on screen, but also in the backend processes: making production workflows easier, easing workloads, and creating space for creativity. /en/events/kalender/aim-leaders/ At @openmatter.studio , our hybrid XR project Scratching the Surface embodies this ethos. By embedding creative guidelines from the very start, we ensure AI decisions remain artist-driven and audience-oriented, no matter how advanced the backend tools become. A heartfelt thank you to @cosimaostan and the @nextmedia.hh team and @brand_eins eins for this initiative and for creating space for a cross-industry dialogue. 👉 If you’d like to join: /en/events/kalender/aim-leaders/ I think, AIM Leaders is not just a conference, it’s a collective conversation about how to align AI tools with cultural leadership. I’d be eager to exchange perspectives with others navigating the same questions. #AIMLeaders2025 #XR #ArtAndTech #ResponsibleAI #CreativeLeadership

The Why Technology Needs Artists report by the British Council (edited by Lydia Rous, with contributions from 40 international voices including @refikanadol Laurie Anderson and Olivier D Asselin makes a clear case: the future of technology isn’t just about innovation — it’s about meaning. Full report: /research-insight/why-technology-needs-artists One finding stood out: 78% of surveyed tech professionals believe artistic collaboration leads to more human-centered innovation. The report describes a global consensus — emerging technologies enter their most valuable phase when artists are involved from the start. In XR, AI, and interactive media, artists are not just “adding visuals” — they’re shaping the questions we ask, the values we embed, and the experiences audiences remember. From Refik Anadol’s data sculptures to Laurie Anderson’s VR storytelling, the examples show that artistic practice pushes technology beyond functionality into human resonance. This aligns with what we are building at @openmatter.studio XR works like „Scratching the Surface“ with @line.hoven , where interactivity isn’t just a feature, but a dialogue between user, artwork, and space. We at Open Matter Studio believe when artists are absent from the design of new tech, the result risks becoming a tool without a soul and ethics. In our own practice, the richest audience engagement happens when artistic vision and technical expertise are inseparable from the first sketch to the final render. How have you seen artists shift the trajectory of a tech project? #TechnologyNeedsArtists #XR #ImmersiveStorytelling #OpenMatterStudio #CreativeTech

Immersive entertainment is no longer a niche — it’s entering what the Evolving Immersive: The 2025 Immersive Industry Report (by Gensler’s Global Entertainment Team, including Barrie Scardina, Dan Starrett, and Anna Muessig) calls its “teenage years”: ambitious, experimental, and still defining its identity. Full report: /research-insight/immersive-industry-report.pdf In this landscape, audiences expect interaction as standard, shaped by platforms like TikTok, Twitch, and Fortnite. Museums are stepping up — 78% of new exhibitions now integrate immersive or digital elements, from teamLab’s boundary-dissolving installations to Meow Wolf narrative universes. This evolution blurs the line between art and entertainment, challenging creators to deliver not only spectacle but also social connection. Immersive formats are growing where traditional media stagnates, with brands from Netflix to Apple investing in experiences as anchor attractions. At @openmatter.studio Studio, our XR hybrid documentary Scratching the Surface with artist @line.hoven Hoven sits within this shift — offering a choice-driven VR narrative inside a physical gallery space. One challenge we’ve faced during one of our prototyp presentations: when we underestimated headset capacity, queues formed, and some visitors left without experiencing the work. It’s a reminder that great concepts need equally strong delivery systems. How have you balanced artistic intent with operational realities in immersive projects? Let’s compare notes — your insights could help shape the next stage of this industry. #XR #ImmersiveStorytelling #MuseumInnovation #OpenMatterStudio

TRENDS 2025 What’s shaping the future of film and XR production in Europe? Recent panels at Forum Alentours highlighted a few key trends with direct impact on how we plan and produce at @openmatter.studio . It’s encouraging to see how TV stations are coming together: several broadcasters from different countries now join forces to fund a project, but keep the creative process anchored in the country where the idea originated. This collective approach raises a question for production companies: Could we take a similar path, pooling financial resources across borders, while preserving local vision and authorship? As co-productions become not just more common but more complex, it’s essential to explore models that foster both creativity and sustainability. The challenge: financing is growing more complex, requiring a mix of public, private, and international sources. For Film, XR and hybrid projects, this means navigating new alliances and investing in early relationships with technology partners. The “Importand Trends 2025” panel with Gilles Fontaine (Observatoire Européen de l’Audiovisuel), Emmanuel Eckert (international producer), Maud Amson (Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes), and Katarzyna Ozga (Iris Group) also highlighted how TV and series formats are evolving: fewer episodes, more focused storytelling and tech partnerships are increasingly essential, especially as AI and digital platforms change how projects get funded, made, and distributed, and new markets like Peru, Indonesia, Iraq, Nepal, and Brazil entering the scene. Curious how others are approaching co-production or audience-building across these new platforms? Let’s exchange ideas. #ForumAlentours #XR #Coproduction #FilmTrends2025 #OpenMatterStudio

Sitting in the heart of Europe at Forum Alentours in Strasbourg, I’m here with our project BABCIA by author and director @wiktor_filip_gacparski searching for European collaborators. Listening to all the pitches today, it’s inspiring to see what stories these filmmakers from across Europe have unearthed and presented to colleagues and jury members. The good thing: there are so many projects @openmatter.studio Studio could imagine collaborating with. The bad thing: there are almost too many to choose from. It feels clear that here in Strasbourg, synergies are possible—arts and culture offer a strong example of how collaboration across borders can work in practice. Thanks to the organizers: @mfg_bw , @laregiongrandest Est, Strasbourg, and CinEuro for making this exchange possible. If you’re attending and would like to discuss ideas or potential partnerships, let’s connect. #ForumAlentours #OpenMatterStudio #Babcia #EuropeanCollaboration #CoProduction