Talent Talk: Immersive Stories. TRAILBLAZER and tAxI.

Meet the talent behind two enthralling immersive stories selected at Cannes Immersive. Created by Singer Studios, Trailblazer is a VR experience starring Daisy Ridley (Star Wars) in the role of pioneer Bertha Benz, who embarked on the world’s first road trip at the end of the 19th Century. Produced by Nilor Studio, tAxI is a multi-sensory installation in which the passengers of a taxi find themselves in conversation with a charismatic AI.

Speakers:

ELOISE SINGER | Director, Co-writer and Executive Producer
TRAILBLAZER | Singer Studios

LESLEY PATERSON | Executive Producer
TRAILBLAZER | BraveArt Entertainment

ORIANA NEIDECKER | Producer
tAxI

STEPHEN HENDERSON | Director
tAxI | Nilor Studio

Moderator:

SILVIA ANGRISANI | Industry Programmes Manager
BFI

About the speakers:

ELOISE SINGER | Director, Co-writer and Executive Producer
TRAILBLAZER | Singer Studios
Eloise Singer is an Emmy-nominated, multi-award-winning producer, writer and director, and the founder of Singer Studios, known for telling bold and innovative stories across film, TV, podcast, and immersive media. She created The Pirate Queen (2024), starring Lucy Liu, which shot to critical acclaim, winning the Storyscapes Award at Tribeca Film Festival and earning Emmy and PGA nominations. She then created Trailblazer starring Daisy Ridley which premiered at Cannes, Venice, SXSW and Sheffield, garnering multiple award nominations including the Grand Jury Prize at Venice. She also executive produced Rare Beasts, starring Billie Piper, and The Last Rifleman, starring Pierce Brosnan. Singer’s work has been showcased at festivals worldwide, including Cannes, Venice, SXSW, BFI London, Tribeca, Raindance and Sundance: London.

LESLEY PATERSON | Executive Producer
TRAILBLAZER | BraveArt Entertainment
Lesley Paterson is an Oscar and BAFTA-winning filmmaker, as well as a five-time World Champion professional triathlete. She is the founder of Brave Art Entertainment, a production company dedicated to creating bold and impactful scripted and unscripted projects. Originally from Scotland and holding undergraduate and graduate degrees in Film, Lesley co-wrote and executive produced All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), directed by Edward Berger. The film received worldwide acclaim, winning multiple Oscars and BAFTAs, including an Academy Award nomination for Lesley for Best Adapted Screenplay.

ORIANA NEIDECKER | Producer
tAxI
Oriana Neidecker is a creative producer focused on immersive storytelling, emerging technologies, and AI. She blends emotional depth with technical precision, working with artists and engineers to develop thoughtful, large-scale, multi-sensory experiences.

STEPHEN HENDERSON | Director
tAxI | Nilor Studio
Stephen Henderson is a multi-disciplinary artist and programmer with a background in Architecture, Spatial Design & Education. He was previously at Marshmallow Laser Feast full-time. His personal work has been internationally exhibited, from South Korea to Venice to London, and he has given talks at international symposia such as Ars Electronica.

SILVIA ANGRISANI | Industry Programmes Manager
BFI
An industry expert with over 20 years of experience in the film sector, Silvia is the BFI London Film Festival Industry Programmes Manager, responsible for the curation of the Industry Talks and the Works-in-Progress Showcase. For the second year, Silvia has also been the programmer of the talks at the UK pavilion during the Cannes Film Festival. Silvia previously worked in international sales, festivals, and theatrical distribution of event cinema, and for over 10 years she was a member of international research teams conducting studies and evaluations of public policies in the film sector.