Pioneering cinema research project Nested Cinema secures AHRC Catalyst Award

Nested Cinema, the ground-breaking concept from film lecturer Dr Pavel Prokopic, involves presenting a film through multiple distinctive layers of cinematic techniques to create an immersive experience which blurs the boundaries between the physical and the virtual for the viewer.

The project, a world-first at the time, was piloted in 2023 within the DevLab at the University’s MediaCity campus when it showcased Vera’s Not Alone, an experience that combined film footage, cinematic virtual reality and Internet of Things (IoT) technology to tell an immersive narrative.

Now, the project, officially titled ‘Nested Cinema: Immersive Experience of Cinematic Content through Spatial Orchestration of Smart Technologies’, has successfully secured a AHRC Catalyst Award of £298,000 with £250,000 of which awarded by UK Research and Innovation.

The funding will go towards developing a deployable hardware/software solution for cinema spaces, collaborating with independent filmmakers to adapt their work for immersive exhibition and culminate in a public launch at Manchester’s Cultplex in March 2028.

Dr Prokopic, the project’s principal investigator, said: “Nested Cinema reimagines cinema for the 21st century by integrating multi-screen projection, virtual reality, dynamic lighting and project mapping to expand storytelling beyond the traditional single screen.

“This award recognises not only the intellectual ambition and sector relevance of the project, but also the strength of Salford’s research environment and technical infrastructure.

“It also enables the next phases of the project’s development, accelerating Nested Cinema towards industry deployment and reinforcing the University of Salford’s position at the forefront of immersive storytelling, expanded cinema and creative technology innovation.”

Professor Andy Miah, Chair of Science Communication and representative of the School of Science, Engineering and Environment, and Dr Stuart Haffenden Cornejo, Lecturer in Creative Technology, will be the co-leads on the project with Jayne Sayer, a Lecturer in Film Production involved as a specialist in dynamic lighting and film production design.

The project team have also provided a special acknowledgement to Roger McKinley, Creative Technology and Content Manager, for his strategic support for the project from the outset, Dr Mark Dyer, Research Development Associate, whose expertise and guidance helped shape and strengthen the AHRC bid and the MediaCity campus’ Technical Services team for their support during the pilot development phase.

The Catalyst Award will cover the project’s next development phase from May 2026 until October 2028.