Belfast XR Festival brings the immersive experience 'Escape the Internet' to The Black Box, with a second VR work 'The Baby Factory is Closed', as part of the Belfast Film Festival.
Belfast XR Festival returns to The Black Box on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 November, running as part of the Belfast Film Festival. It's a short run with two immersive works, both of which have spent time on the international circuit before landing here in the Cathedral Quarter.
The main draw is Escape the Internet, directed by Lucas Rizzotto with Pete Cybriwsky and presented in partnership with IDFA DocLab. It's a 120-minute piece that gathers up to a hundred people in one room, all of whom are infected with terminal 'brainrot'. An algorithmic AI demon can possess anyone at any moment, and a live compere guides the room as you work together to solve a shared problem while dodging colourful monsters. It sits somewhere between a massive multiplayer game and a social experiment, and it's had runs at SXSW and Tribeca; this is an exclusive Belfast preview ahead of its European premiere in Amsterdam. It's for 18s and over.
Alongside it is The Baby Factory is Closed, a single-player VR work written and directed by Deepa Mann-Kler, produced by Eva Robinson of Aura Digital Studios, with an original score by Katie Richardson. It's a shorter piece, 20 minutes, and it premiered in competition at SXSW 2026 before running at London's Victoria & Albert Museum. That one is for 16s and over.
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The festival is led by Director Deepa Mann-Kler, who also wrote and directed The Baby Factory is Closed. You'll find both experiences at The Black Box, 18-22 Hill Street, in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter. Tickets are £15, with a 10% discount if you book for four or more people.
