Fulldome cinematogrpaphy is one of the youngest and dynamically developing areas of filmmaking. Its development reminds us of the glorious time at the dawn of this art form – the period of experiments, attempts and discoveries, the era of Dziga Vertov and Robert Flaherty. The support of the industry in this difficult time is the priority for us, the organizers of the Siberian Fulldome Festival.

The history of the The Siberia Fulldome Festival started in Novosibirsk in 2014. It became the first festival in Siberia dedicated to fulldome cinematography. In 2022, it will bring together filmmakers from around the world once again. The festival’s mission is to showcase the diversity of fulldome art forms, support experimental genres, and create conditions for interdisciplinary collaboration between studios, scientists, and artists. The festival aims to strengthen ties within the community of professionals involved in fulldome art.

Several contests covering the variety of forms of fulldome programs demonstrated by the planetariums to the public will be included in the Festival: Film contest, Immersive works contest and Lecturer contest. The festival decided to pay special attention to debutants submitting works for the film competition and young professionals participating in the lecturers’ competition.

Short films and full-length fulldome films participate in the film contest. The main contest awards 8 prizes: Best Film, Best Debut, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Screenplay and Audience Award. Thus, the films are judged both as a whole and for separate parts of an impeccably executed work. Also, the jury will be able to award three prizes in the special competition: for innovation in fulldome filmmaking, for the reliability of the visualization of scientific knowledge and for the best music video.

Fulldome Festival strives to institutionalize new forms of fulldome art. Immersive works contest is designed to demonstrate the possibilities of immersive programs demonstrated by planetariums. New forms are works that imply the simultaneous use of a fulldome screen and a stage, the direct involvement of the viewer in what is happening on the stage (children’s theatrical performances, animation programs, and immersive performances).

The Lecturer contest is intended to show how the format of lectures given in planetariums in real time with the help of astrosimulators can develop. The festival becomes an impulse that sets the discussion about the format.

The conference, which will be held during the festival, is aimed at developing the professional competencies of participants, sharing experiences and interdisciplinary dialogue. Following are some of the topics: sound and music in fulldome cinema, filming with an angle of view of 360, 3d animation, programs for creating fulldome and VR content, traditional animation techniques in fulldome cinema, technical support for the production of fulldome and VR content, screenwriting, producing fulldome cinema, producing VR projects. The conference will include workshops and lectures of industry representatives.