This June, Kinhouse Studio, a Warsaw-based independent production company, held its world premiere of Cosmogonic at the NewImages Festival in Paris, France between June 8th and 12th. The festival showcased Cosmogonic both in-person and online. Cosmogonic is co-produced by Adam Mickiewicz Institute and Aura Films, with support from the Polish Film Institute.

Cosmogonic is a 6DoF, seated/standing 8-minute experience. It is the first VR experience inspired by the famous Polish science-fiction writer, Stanisław Lem — a futurist who is well acquainted with how fictional worlds can often encroach upon reality.

In Cosmogonic, we travel into the memories of the title character, a once-great robot engineer, to visit the planet of Actinuria. Here, the Pallatinids, a society of giant robots, live under the cruel King Archithor. Fearing a conspiracy, he forces the citizens to wear suits of uranium armor, which cause an explosion if too many of them gather. But one of them, a bold, young inventor named Pyron, decides to use science and technology to inspire a revolution. This adaptation of a 1964 novel by Lem speaks perfectly to today's world, where populism and disinformation threaten democracy. It is a testament to the importance of knowledge and community in the universal drive to freedom.

In a statement, director Paweł Szarzyński said:

We were pleased to share this project with the world at the NewImages Festival, showcasing our culture and inspiration based on the works of Polish science-fiction writer, Stanisław Lem. The intersections of technology, history, culture, and science are elements that we hold near and dear to our hearts. We believe that the NewImages Festival was the perfect destination to reveal the world's first VR experience, inspired by Stanisaw Lem.

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