Jul 13, 2026
A first-hand look at where cinematic storytelling and immersive technology are heading in the Greater Bay Area.
A first-hand look at where cinematic storytelling and immersive technology are heading in the Greater Bay Area.
As part of its ongoing engagement with the GBA's immersive entertainment ecosystem, HKXRA visited Boundless XR Cinema (無界XR影院) in Guangzhou to experience Xuanzang and Kucha (《玄奘與龜茲》), a VR film produced by Xi'an Film Studio (西影) and recently named Best Virtual Reality Film at the Beijing International Film Festival.
The visit underscored how quickly location-based XR cinema is advancing. Visual fidelity showed a clear step up from previous productions, with motion tracking technology especially striking in its rendering of fabric and ribbon detail, while deliberate cinematography and a well-integrated score gave the piece a genuine sense of craft.
As immersive cinema matures across the region, HKXRA sees growing opportunity in storytelling built specifically for XR — rather than extended from traditional film grammar. HKXRA will continue to track developments in GBA immersive entertainment and explore how Hong Kong's XR talent and academic partners can help shape the next generation of location-based experiences.
About the Film
In the 7th century, the monk Xuanzang travelled west for Buddhist scriptures, passing through Kucha just as the kingdom held its once-every-five-years Wuzhe Assembly — an episode he later recorded in Great Tang Records on the Western Regions.
Xuanzang and Kucha recreates this Silk Road episode in digital light: the sanctum of the Kizil Caves, the dance goddess Apsaras stepping from faded murals, the ancient poplar forest along the Tarim River, and Xuanzang's first meeting with the King of Kucha. At its centre lies a quiet question of knowledge, action, and the old maxim that all things must pass.
