Partners
Nested Cinema is supported by a prestigious Catalyst Award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), with more than £250,000 of public research funding supporting its development from 2026–2028. The award enables the next phase of the project: developing the Nested Cinema creative platform, collaborating with independent filmmakers and advancing the work towards public and industry deployment. As the UK’s largest provider of response-led and strategic funding across the arts and humanities, AHRC’s investment represents significant national recognition of Nested Cinema’s research ambition, creative innovation and potential to contribute to the future of cinematic experience
Abandon Normal Devices (AND) brings a long-standing commitment to adventurous work at the intersection of art, cinema, technology and the public realm. Known for commissioning artists and creating extraordinary experiences in unexpected places, AND shares Nested Cinema’s interest in challenging established forms of storytelling and exploring how emerging technologies can reshape the audience experience. Our collaboration brings critical and curatorial insight, connections to wider creative communities, and opportunities to explore how Nested Cinema might travel beyond conventional exhibition contexts and become part of a broader culture of experimental, immersive practice.
Cultplex gives Nested Cinema something essential: a living, independent cinema in which ideas can meet real audiences. Based in Manchester’s Green Quarter, Cultplex has built its identity around cult film, alternative programming, festivals and the communal experience of watching cinema together. Our collaboration provides a real-world environment in which Nested Cinema can be tested, refined and understood as a proposition for independent exhibition – exploring not only what spatialised cinema can offer filmmakers, but how it might enrich the experience of venues and audiences. Cultplex’s existing relationship with INEFF also creates a valuable bridge between new forms of filmmaking and new ways of presenting those films to the public.
Microcosm Audio brings specialist expertise in compact, high-quality spatial audio systems to Nested Cinema. Its configurable approach supports formats including Ambisonics and custom multi-channel setups of up to 16 channels, making it particularly suited to immersive installations and unconventional exhibition spaces. Within Nested Cinema, Microcosm will help us explore how sound can move beyond conventional surround playback to become part of the architecture of the experience –positioning voices, environments and sonic events around the audience as the story unfolds across screens, light and physical space. Their emphasis on flexible, accessible and bespoke spatial-audio solutions aligns closely with the project’s ambition to make immersive cinematic experiences achievable beyond specialist venues.
INEFF – the International Network of Experimental Fiction Filmmaking – connects filmmakers, artists, researchers and industry practitioners who are interested in pushing at the creative boundaries of fiction film. That makes it a natural creative community for Nested Cinema. Through INEFF, we can share the tools and knowledge developed by the project with an international network of filmmakers, invite new voices into the development of spatialised cinema, and encourage experimentation with how stories are made, experienced and exhibited. The relationship places Nested Cinema within an ongoing conversation about what fiction filmmaking can become as technologies, methods and modes of presentation continue to evolve.