Founded in 2015, FIVARS (Festival of International Virtual and Augmented Reality Stories) is an annual festival that showcases virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) storytelling. It began in Toronto, Canada, and brings together VR and AR creators from around the world to showcase their work and share their experiences and insights with the public. The festival features a variety of VR and AR experiences, including films, games, exhibitions, and performances. It also includes workshops, panel discussions, and other events focused on VR and AR storytelling and its future developments. FIVARS is an important international discovery engine for emerging talent and new immersive productions, working steadfastly to provide a hybrid platform for VR and AR creators, with the public, and with others in the field.

FIVARS was the first Canadian festival of its kind featuring many world premieres and in our preview screenings and events, audience responses are consistently full of contemplation, surprise, delight, controversy and wonder. (FIVARS Wikipedia page)

FIVARS (Festival of International Virtual and Augmented Reality Stories) openly encourages viewers to enjoy and connect to stories in this newly emergent narrative form, while challenging content creators to showcase ideas that defy and transcend the status quo. The show runs will live events in Toronto, and Los Angeles, and an award-winning WebXR theatre featuring 5.7k stereoscopic spherical video with spatial audio and VR support, as well Eventbrite ticket integration.

At the festival, there is also an opportunity to share conversations both with our team and other industry members in attendance to discuss how to take part in this snowballing revolution in tech, entertainment, research and information sharing.

FIVARS is led by founder Keram Malicki-Sanchez, and team Aimee Reynolds, Chrissy Aitchison, Elizabeth Fimio, James Baicoinanu, and Stephanie Greenall. The website is designed and maintained by Ben Cross.

FIVARS grew through the hard work of many people who volunteered their time. Some of those include Joseph Ellsworth, Jessy Blaze, Candace Steinberg, Meg D’acosta, Sarah Bradley, Elvira Sanchez de Malicki, Toya Sanchez Jankowski, Marek Malicki, Adriel Malicki-Sanchez, Gibrian Malicki-Sanchez, Corina Death, Rory Wicks, Yoka Makaewa, Jason Spanu, Adam Fimio, Jeffrey Lynn Damon, Laura Bunce, Sappho Hansen Smythe, Rachel Mackenzie, Rorik Henrickson, Michael Hoang, Flynn Dauntless, and our many wonderful partners and volunteers.

FIVARS 2019 Owl by Victoria Nieto

FIVARS 2018 Owl art created in VR by Vladimir Ilic. All rights reserved.

FIVARS is a produced by Constant Change Media Group, Inc., and its partner event VRTO.