08/04/2025 - The team behind the upcoming VR360 + XR installation, which won the Eurimages Outreach Award at CPH:DOX Industry, offer their insights into the project

l-r: Alex Haugmard, Thibault Elie and Lucien Pin (© Adam Cernich)

Transdisciplinary artist Lucien Pin, artistic and technical director Alex Haugmard, and producer Thibault Elie spoke to Cineuropa after winning the Eurimages Outreach Award (which comes with a €30,000 cash prize) for their VR360 + XR installation project Becoming Lucien at the recent CPH:LAB (see the news). Furthermore, the project won the Newimages – Forum Des Images Award, which enables it to attend the 2025 XR Development Market of the NewImages Festival. Becoming Lucien is a French production and is being staged by Morituri.

Cineuropa: Can you share some more details about Becoming Lucien, what inspired the project and what makes it stand out?
Lucien Pin: I am a 27-year-old trans non-binary man, and Becoming Lucien is an immersive self-portrait inviting you to experience my transition journey alongside me. Basically, this is the story of how I became Lucien. The project blends documentary and experimental storytelling, allowing me to narrate my transition story as if I were speaking to my younger self – like a letter to the seven-year-old child I once was.

This project is the third episode in a series of audiovisual self-portraits exploring my trans identity. In Becoming Lucien, you will step into my shoes as a child and witness, first hand, the defining moments of my transition. You will explore the doubts and the struggles, but also the euphoria and relief that came with reclaiming my name, my body and my voice.

Alex Haugmard: Coming from a linear filmmaking background, we wanted to explore immersive and interactive technologies to reach broader audiences and invent new forms of storytelling. The project is a 3D animated experience, available as a 20-minute standalone virtual-reality piece, but also as an extended-reality installation, designed for exhibition spaces worldwide.

Where are you in the production process right now, and what are the next big steps for you?
Thibault Elie: In the first year of the project, we secured grants to fund its development, including the making of the future playable prototype. We still have pending applications for additional funding.

AH: We’ve been working as a small team to shape the project’s concept, story and art direction – it will have a dreamlike, monochrome, black-and-white, sensory aesthetic reminiscent of a children’s tale. We recently completed the first draft of the script, along with key creative documents to guide the team that will bring Becoming Lucien to life in video-game engines.

How has your experience at CPH:INDUSTRY shaped the journey of the project? What are the key takeaways?
LP: We entered CPH:FORUM through the CPH:LAB, CPH:DOX’s incubator and training programme. The project was in its early stages, but Mark Atkin, the head of studies, believed in the potential of the high concept and in our vision. Over the course of the year, we participated in workshops and mentorships given by renowned artists, producers and curators in the immersive industry.

AH: CPH:LAB was a really safe space to develop this deeply personal project, surrounded by the next generation of XR documentary artists, all helping each other. The ultimate goal was to present our project and prototype at CPH:FORUM in March. Through the lab, we reimagined Becoming Lucien for a broader audience, making it more accessible and impactful for those unfamiliar with trans experiences, to help them better understand what a trans journey is.

TE: The project also grew in scale. Initially, we envisioned something much smaller and weren’t sure if it fitted within the documentary space. Mark Atkin and CPH:LAB manager Stella Ntavara took a chance on us as an emerging team and on our production company, Morituri. CPH:LAB not only served as a unique artistic incubator, but also connected us with key industry figures, bridging the gap between the most innovative documentary projects and the partners that can help us fund, build and distribute Becoming Lucien. The feedback and ideas we received were invaluable. It was really empowering. Even though we are still reviewing the script, we are already envisioning how the immersive exhibition will take shape in the real world.

Winning the Eurimages Outreach Award is a big milestone. How do you plan to use this support to bring Becoming Lucien to a wider audience?
TE: Winning the award has already been transformative. It puts us on the XR map and highlights the project’s full potential. This recognition will hopefully accelerate our fundraising efforts and support our impact strategy.

LP: Our goal is to create a universally accessible and empowering narrative, crossing generations and going beyond the queer community. While Becoming Lucien will undoubtedly resonate with those experiencing gender dysphoria or questioning their identity, it’s equally important for families, friends and allies. We want this project to foster understanding, challenge misconceptions, and create a space for empathy and connection. More than anything, I wish my parents had been able to experience something like this before my transition – it might have helped them understand me better. I hope Becoming Lucien will change lives in that way as well.

Do you have any estimate for when audiences might get to experience Becoming Lucien?
TE: We aim to premiere it in 2026 or 2027, releasing Becoming Lucien in its various formats, including the VR standalone and XR installation.