Chaired by Blanca Li (supported by Céline Tricart, Michel van der Aa, Mary Matheson and Hsin-Chien Huang), the jury of the Immersive Competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival has crowned Katábasis by Ugo Arsac (with French company Zorba overseeing production) as its winner, describing it as “a magnificent immersive work, deeply human, authentic and emotionally powerful, which allows us to reconnect with what binds together seemingly ordinary human beings”.

Drawing on the myth of katabasis - a descent into the underworld - this interactive documentary explores New York’s underground labyrinth, within the layers of the city’s subconscious. Katábasis gives voice to those who live in these spaces, work in their tunnels or hide in their corners: buried in unexpected places, their stories collide and resonate, shaping a vital and complex territory. The experience shifts perspective, revealing the bowels of the metropolis at the heart of a polarised US society.

The jury also granted a Special Mention to the French-Spanish production The Black Mirror Experience, created by David Bardos and Damià Ferràndiz, with Banijay Live and Univrse steering production.