Connect with Less Media
Just type your contacts
[work in progress]
About Us
We are part of the frameless media revolution. We believe VR, AR and XR will change human communications. These technologies can deeply affect our brains, our emotions, and our overall perception of the world and each other.
We build the future of human connections without borders or walls. We don’t see our products as limited to one market or another. We think and create, we live beyond any boundaries or frames.
We fight fears and we’re not afraid to do things differently. We’re not afraid to go against the stream. We choose Less, not More.
We build the future of human connections without borders or walls. We don’t see our products as limited to one market or another. We think and create, we live beyond any boundaries or frames.
We fight fears and we’re not afraid to do things differently. We’re not afraid to go against the stream. We choose Less, not More.
Cross-cultural VR initiative introduced by Less Media Group in partnership with French Institute.
In 2023, the Digital Autumn festival took place for the second consecutive year. Organized by the French Institute in Russia in collaboration with the Less Media Group agency, the event continued its mission of introducing audiences to the best artistic works in virtual reality.
The festival's program featured iconic VR projects from recent years, showcasing a diverse range of formats, durations, and levels of interactivity.
The festival's program featured iconic VR projects from recent years, showcasing a diverse range of formats, durations, and levels of interactivity.
Each project was designed to create a powerful sense of PRESENCE, offering viewers an unparalleled experience of full immersion in the story's world.
This distinctive quality of virtual reality sets it apart from other storytelling formats, and the festival provided a unique opportunity for thousands of viewers to engage with VR art that is shaping this emerging digital art form.
This distinctive quality of virtual reality sets it apart from other storytelling formats, and the festival provided a unique opportunity for thousands of viewers to engage with VR art that is shaping this emerging digital art form.
VR Festival showcasing award-winning narrative VR projects in Almaty, Astana, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and Tashkent.
ALMATY
27.10 – 12.11.2023
ASTANA
8.12 – 10.12.2023
VIEW PRESS-RELEASE →
MOSCOW
SAINT PETERSBURG EKATERINBURG
CHELYABINSK
SAINT PETERSBURG EKATERINBURG
CHELYABINSK
24.11 – 10.12.2023
TASHKENT
8.12 – 10.12.2023
VIEW PRESS-RELEASE →
Programme 2023
Hawaiians suddenly confronted a real and urgent nuclear threat — one that we all currently face, but rarely acknowledge.
On the Morning You Wake (to the End of the World) is a virtual reality documentary that immerses the audience in the first-hand experience of citizens in Hawai’i to make clear the fundamental injustice of a world where nuclear weapons exist.
On the Morning You Wake (to the End of the World) is a virtual reality documentary that immerses the audience in the first-hand experience of citizens in Hawai’i to make clear the fundamental injustice of a world where nuclear weapons exist.
On the Morning You Wake
(To the End of the World)
(To the End of the World)
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Duration:
38 minutes
38 minutes
Altération
An anticipation fiction in virtual reality. Alexandro volunteers for an experiment carried out to study dreams. He doesn’t even imagine that he’s going to be subjected to the intrusion of Elsa, a form of Artificial Intelligence, who’s going to digitize and dematerialize his subconscious in order to feed off it.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Duration:
18 minutes
18 minutes
Goliath:
Playing with Reality
Playing with Reality
Through mind-bending animation, explore the limits of reality and a true story of mental health and the power of gaming. Echo (narrated by Tilda Swinton) guides you through the many realities of Goliath, a man who spent years in isolating mental health institutions but finds connection in multiplayer games. Combining heart-felt dialogue, mesmerising visuals and symbolic interactions, weave through multiple worlds to uncover Goliath's poignant story.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Duration:
20 minutes
20 minutes
Revivre Notre-Dame
A dive into the stunning sceneries of the Notre Dame cathedral before and after the tragic fire. On April 15, 2019, the Notre-Dame cathedral caught fire. Today, Notre-Dame is not entirely saved, but still standing. Experience a unique and unprecedented immersion in the cathedral before and after the fire, narrated by the leaders who look after the iconic monument.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Duration:
17 minutes
17 minutes
Kinoscope
A VR journey into the world of cinema.
Kinoscope is a VR experience immersing the spectator into a lively and colorful universe to discover the history of cinema lead by the voice of the Hollywood legend Dean Tavoularis, motion picture production designer whose work appeared in numerous box office hits such as The Godfather films, Apocalypse Now, The Brink’s Job, One from the Heart and Bonnie and Clyde.
Kinoscope is a VR experience immersing the spectator into a lively and colorful universe to discover the history of cinema lead by the voice of the Hollywood legend Dean Tavoularis, motion picture production designer whose work appeared in numerous box office hits such as The Godfather films, Apocalypse Now, The Brink’s Job, One from the Heart and Bonnie and Clyde.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Duration:
9 minutes
9 minutes
Accused #2:
Walter Sisulu
Walter Sisulu
256 hours of recordings of the Rivonia trial revive the political fight of Mandela and 7 coaccused against apartheid. The film focuses on accused N°2, Walter Sisulu. “Mandela would, without fail, seek out Sisulu before making any kind of big decision.” It was an open secret among Mandela’s comrades in the struggle. Without Walter Sisulu, there wouldn’t have been Nelson Mandela.
Sisulu was the one who found Mandela. Sisulu was his guide. Sisulu was his mentor. The world came to know about Sisulu during the Rivonia trial in 1963 and 1964. Mandela, accused number one, read a speech during the trial justifying why the ANC had resorted to violence. Sisulu, accused number two, was the first of the group to be cross-examined.
The sound archives of the trial - which have recently been restored by the INA - allow us to relive the five days of his gripping confrontation with an overtly racist prosecutor. Sisulu, who faced the death penalty, stood up to the unrelenting aggression and gave as good as he got.
Sisulu was the one who found Mandela. Sisulu was his guide. Sisulu was his mentor. The world came to know about Sisulu during the Rivonia trial in 1963 and 1964. Mandela, accused number one, read a speech during the trial justifying why the ANC had resorted to violence. Sisulu, accused number two, was the first of the group to be cross-examined.
The sound archives of the trial - which have recently been restored by the INA - allow us to relive the five days of his gripping confrontation with an overtly racist prosecutor. Sisulu, who faced the death penalty, stood up to the unrelenting aggression and gave as good as he got.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Duration:
15 minutes
15 minutes
Notes on Blindness:
Into Darkness
Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness is an immersive virtual reality project based on John Hull’s sensory and psychological experience of blindness.
In 1983, after decades of steady deterioration, writer and theologian John Hull became totally blind.
To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began documenting his experiences on audio cassette. Over three years he recorded in excess of sixteen hours of material – a unique testimony of loss, rebirth and renewal, excavating his interior world of blindness. These original diary recordings form the basis of this project, a six-part interactive documentary using new forms of storytelling, gamplay mechanics and virtual reality to explore his cognitive and emotional experience of blindness.
Each scene will address a memory, a moment and a specific location from John’s audio diary, using binaural audio and real time 3D animations to create a fully immersive experience.
In 1983, after decades of steady deterioration, writer and theologian John Hull became totally blind.
To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began documenting his experiences on audio cassette. Over three years he recorded in excess of sixteen hours of material – a unique testimony of loss, rebirth and renewal, excavating his interior world of blindness. These original diary recordings form the basis of this project, a six-part interactive documentary using new forms of storytelling, gamplay mechanics and virtual reality to explore his cognitive and emotional experience of blindness.
Each scene will address a memory, a moment and a specific location from John’s audio diary, using binaural audio and real time 3D animations to create a fully immersive experience.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Duration:
20 minutes
20 minutes
Planet ∞
In a world in ruins, only fungi and mold grow in the middle of gigantic dried insects bodies. When a weather change occurs, rain irrigates the arid planet and floods it gradually. In the water springs an ecosystem, populated by giant carnivorous tadpoles.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Duration:
6 minutes
6 minutes
The Hangman at Home
“What does the hangman think about when he goes home at night from work?”
Inspired by the 1922 Carl Sandburg poem of the same title, this VR single-user immersive experience explores themes of acknowledgement and participation. It is not about hanging people, but about the awkward intimacy that comes with being human, and the connection between spectator, witness, and accomplice. The animated, interactive experience invites you into five interwoven stories, capturing pivotal moments in people’s lives.
Inspired by the 1922 Carl Sandburg poem of the same title, this VR single-user immersive experience explores themes of acknowledgement and participation. It is not about hanging people, but about the awkward intimacy that comes with being human, and the connection between spectator, witness, and accomplice. The animated, interactive experience invites you into five interwoven stories, capturing pivotal moments in people’s lives.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Duration:
25 minutes
25 minutes
L’île des morts
A timeless journey, based on Arnold Böcklin’s painting.
Isle of the Dead is a timeless journey, starting from an everyday apartment towards our final destination, guided by Charon, ferryman of the Underworld. This VR experience is a loose recreation of the eponymous work painted in 1883 by the Swiss symbolist painter Arnold Böcklin. The famous masterpiece also inspired a symphonic poem by Rachmaninov, which makes a perfect soundtrack to accompany the experience.
Isle of the Dead is a timeless journey, starting from an everyday apartment towards our final destination, guided by Charon, ferryman of the Underworld. This VR experience is a loose recreation of the eponymous work painted in 1883 by the Swiss symbolist painter Arnold Böcklin. The famous masterpiece also inspired a symphonic poem by Rachmaninov, which makes a perfect soundtrack to accompany the experience.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Duration:
8 minutes
8 minutes
Meet Mortaza
An immersive journey of an Afghan refugee.
At the age of 24, Mortaza had to flee his own country, Afghanistan, because he was sentenced to death by the religious authorities. Forced into exile, through a dangerous and clandestine road, Mortaza will reach Europe to join the country he wished to ask for asylum: France. Meet Mortaza VR tells the twelve-year-journey of a young man who wanted to live free. The experience plunges the audience into Mortaza’s recollections, sharing his intimacy, dreams, doubts and fights for freedom.
At the age of 24, Mortaza had to flee his own country, Afghanistan, because he was sentenced to death by the religious authorities. Forced into exile, through a dangerous and clandestine road, Mortaza will reach Europe to join the country he wished to ask for asylum: France. Meet Mortaza VR tells the twelve-year-journey of a young man who wanted to live free. The experience plunges the audience into Mortaza’s recollections, sharing his intimacy, dreams, doubts and fights for freedom.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Duration:
13 minutes
13 minutes
Cross-cultural VR initiative introduced by Less Media Group in partnership with French Institute.
In 2023, the Digital Autumn festival took place for the second consecutive year. Organized by the French Institute in Russia in collaboration with the Less Media Group agency, the event continued its mission of introducing audiences to the best artistic works in virtual reality.
The festival's program featured iconic VR projects from recent years, showcasing a diverse range of formats, durations, and levels of interactivity.
The festival's program featured iconic VR projects from recent years, showcasing a diverse range of formats, durations, and levels of interactivity.
Each project was designed to create a powerful sense of PRESENCE, offering viewers an unparalleled experience of full immersion in the story's world.
This distinctive quality of virtual reality sets it apart from other storytelling formats, and the festival provided a unique opportunity for thousands of viewers to engage with VR art that is shaping this emerging digital art form.
This distinctive quality of virtual reality sets it apart from other storytelling formats, and the festival provided a unique opportunity for thousands of viewers to engage with VR art that is shaping this emerging digital art form.
VR Festival showcasing award-winning narrative VR projects in Almaty, Astana, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and Tashkent.
ASTANA
8.12 – 10.12.2023
VIEW PRESS-RELEASE →
MOSCOW
SAINT PETERSBURG EKATERINBURG
CHELYABINSK
SAINT PETERSBURG EKATERINBURG
CHELYABINSK
24.11 – 10.12.2023
TASHKENT
8.12 – 10.12.2023
VIEW PRESS-RELEASE →
ALMATY
27.10 – 12.11.2023
Programme 2023
On the Morning You Wake (To the End of the World)
Hawaiians suddenly confronted a real and urgent nuclear threat — one that we all currently face, but rarely acknowledge.
On the Morning You Wake (to the End of the World) is a virtual reality documentary that immerses the audience in the first-hand experience of citizens in Hawai’i to make clear the fundamental injustice of a world where nuclear weapons exist.
On the Morning You Wake (to the End of the World) is a virtual reality documentary that immerses the audience in the first-hand experience of citizens in Hawai’i to make clear the fundamental injustice of a world where nuclear weapons exist.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
38 minutes
Notes on Blindness:
Into Darkness
Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness is an immersive virtual reality project based on John Hull’s sensory and psychological experience of blindness.
In 1983, after decades of steady deterioration, writer and theologian John Hull became totally blind.
To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began documenting his experiences on audio cassette. Over three years he recorded in excess of sixteen hours of material – a unique testimony of loss, rebirth and renewal, excavating his interior world of blindness. These original diary recordings form the basis of this project, a six-part interactive documentary using new forms of storytelling, gamplay mechanics and virtual reality to explore his cognitive and emotional experience of blindness.
Each scene will address a memory, a moment and a specific location from John’s audio diary, using binaural audio and real time 3D animations to create a fully immersive experience.
In 1983, after decades of steady deterioration, writer and theologian John Hull became totally blind.
To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began documenting his experiences on audio cassette. Over three years he recorded in excess of sixteen hours of material – a unique testimony of loss, rebirth and renewal, excavating his interior world of blindness. These original diary recordings form the basis of this project, a six-part interactive documentary using new forms of storytelling, gamplay mechanics and virtual reality to explore his cognitive and emotional experience of blindness.
Each scene will address a memory, a moment and a specific location from John’s audio diary, using binaural audio and real time 3D animations to create a fully immersive experience.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
20 minutes
Altération
An anticipation fiction in virtual reality. Alexandro volunteers for an experiment carried out to study dreams. He doesn’t even imagine that he’s going to be subjected to the intrusion of Elsa, a form of Artificial Intelligence, who’s going to digitize and dematerialize his subconscious in order to feed off it.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
18 minutes
Planet ∞
In a world in ruins, only fungi and mold grow in the middle of gigantic dried insects bodies. When a weather change occurs, rain irrigates the arid planet and floods it gradually. In the water springs an ecosystem, populated by giant carnivorous tadpoles.
6 minutes
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Goliath:
Playing with Reality
Playing with Reality
Through mind-bending animation, explore the limits of reality and a true story of mental health and the power of gaming.
Echo (narrated by Tilda Swinton) guides you through the many realities of Goliath, a man who spent years in isolating mental health institutions but finds connection in multiplayer games. Combining heart-felt dialogue, mesmerising visuals and symbolic interactions, weave through multiple worlds to uncover Goliath's poignant story.
Echo (narrated by Tilda Swinton) guides you through the many realities of Goliath, a man who spent years in isolating mental health institutions but finds connection in multiplayer games. Combining heart-felt dialogue, mesmerising visuals and symbolic interactions, weave through multiple worlds to uncover Goliath's poignant story.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
20 minutes
The Hangman at Home
“What does the hangman think about when he goes home at night from work?”
Inspired by the 1922 Carl Sandburg poem of the same title, this VR single-user immersive experience explores themes of acknowledgement and participation. It is not about hanging people, but about the awkward intimacy that comes with being human, and the connection between spectator, witness, and accomplice. The animated, interactive experience invites you into five interwoven stories, capturing pivotal moments in people’s lives.
Inspired by the 1922 Carl Sandburg poem of the same title, this VR single-user immersive experience explores themes of acknowledgement and participation. It is not about hanging people, but about the awkward intimacy that comes with being human, and the connection between spectator, witness, and accomplice. The animated, interactive experience invites you into five interwoven stories, capturing pivotal moments in people’s lives.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
25 minutes
Revivre Notre-Dame
A dive into the stunning sceneries of the Notre Dame cathedral before and after the tragic fire. On April 15, 2019, the Notre-Dame cathedral caught fire. Today, Notre-Dame is not entirely saved, but still standing. Experience a unique and unprecedented immersion in the cathedral before and after the fire, narrated by the leaders who look after the iconic monument.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
17 minutes
L’île des morts
A dive into the stunning sceneries of the Notre Dame cathedral before and after the tragic fire. On April 15, 2019, the Notre-Dame cathedral caught fire. Today, Notre-Dame is not entirely saved, but still standing. Experience a unique and unprecedented immersion in the cathedral before and after the fire, narrated by the leaders who look after the iconic monument.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
8 minutes
Kinoscope
A VR journey into the world of cinema.
Kinoscope is a VR experience immersing the spectator into a lively and colorful universe to discover the history of cinema lead by the voice of the Hollywood legend Dean Tavoularis, motion picture production designer whose work appeared in numerous box office hits such as The Godfather films, Apocalypse Now, The Brink’s Job, One from the Heart and Bonnie and Clyde.
Kinoscope is a VR experience immersing the spectator into a lively and colorful universe to discover the history of cinema lead by the voice of the Hollywood legend Dean Tavoularis, motion picture production designer whose work appeared in numerous box office hits such as The Godfather films, Apocalypse Now, The Brink’s Job, One from the Heart and Bonnie and Clyde.
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
9 minutes
Meet Mortaza
Meet Mortaza tells the twelve-year journey of a young man who wanted to live free. The experience plunges the audience into Mortaza’s recollections, sharing his intimacy, dreams, doubts, and fights for freedom. Following the traces of his journey from Kabul to Paris, the experience gradually prepares the audience to discover Mortaza himself.
13 minutes
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Accused #2:
Walter Sisulu
Walter Sisulu
256 hours of recordings of the Rivonia trial revive the political fight of Mandela and 7 coaccused against apartheid. The film focuses on accused N°2, Walter Sisulu. “Mandela would, without fail, seek out Sisulu before making any kind of big decision.” It was an open secret among Mandela’s comrades in the struggle. Without Walter Sisulu, there wouldn’t have been Nelson Mandela.
Sisulu was the one who found Mandela. Sisulu was his guide. Sisulu was his mentor. The world came to know about Sisulu during the Rivonia trial in 1963 and 1964. Mandela, accused number one, read a speech during the trial justifying why the ANC had resorted to violence. Sisulu, accused number two, was the first of the group to be cross-examined.
The sound archives of the trial - which have recently been restored by the INA - allow us to relive the five days of his gripping confrontation with an overtly racist prosecutor. Sisulu, who faced the death penalty, stood up to the unrelenting aggression and gave as good as he got.
Sisulu was the one who found Mandela. Sisulu was his guide. Sisulu was his mentor. The world came to know about Sisulu during the Rivonia trial in 1963 and 1964. Mandela, accused number one, read a speech during the trial justifying why the ANC had resorted to violence. Sisulu, accused number two, was the first of the group to be cross-examined.
The sound archives of the trial - which have recently been restored by the INA - allow us to relive the five days of his gripping confrontation with an overtly racist prosecutor. Sisulu, who faced the death penalty, stood up to the unrelenting aggression and gave as good as he got.
15 minutes
Region of the showcase:
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan