From knights to robots and from dinosaurs to digital animals, this year's MediaLab is all about time travel! How does the past live on in us? What legacy have previous generations left us, and what will we pass on in the future?

Zap and zoom from the present to the past and far into the future in the 30 works in the MediaLab. Cuddle with robots, philosophize about e-waste with an AI host, and create your own time capsule. Are you ready for a journey through time?

Interactive art, VR, AR, AI, games, workshops and the MiniLab

Amarte x Cinekid Open Call MediaLab 2025

Two new interactive works of art were created within the Amarte x Cinekid Open Call MediaLab 2025: 'Bacchus, the Story Gobbler' by Hay Kranen and Nienke Huitenga Broeren and 'Time Ripple' by Eva Heijnen, Dionne Cats and Keez Duyves.

Bacchus, the Story Gobbler

#AI#storymachine#audio-adventure

Embark on an audio adventure with Bacchus the Story Gobbler! This chaotic creature absorbs your ideas and takes you on a journey through time full of surprises. You and other children complete the story, while Bakkus continually creates a new, funny, and unique narrative. No adventure is ever the same! Winners: Hay Kranen and Nienke Huitenga Broeren. A production of De Merel uit de Machine | Music by Mark IJzerman | Illustrations by Wendy van der Waal.

Time Ripple

#timetravel#cause-effect#changethefuture

Dive into Time Ripple and discover how your choices influence the future! Three characters from 1825, 2025, and 2225 are connected by a magical pond. What you do in one time period changes the water, air, and nature in the other. An interactive experience where you learn about cause and effect, climate, and responsibility through play. Winners: Eva Heijnen, Dionne Cats and Keez Duyves. Music by Nilo van Kralingen.

Innovative technologies: AR en AI

In the MediaLab, children can experiment with innovative technologies such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence.

E.M.I.

#AI-host#electronicwaste#startaconversation

Meet E.M.I., a smart AI housed in a statue made of old screens, phones, and electronics! Talk to her about what we throw away and how we can better care for our planet. Together, they'll philosophize, dream, and create stories about the future. An interactive installation that demonstrates that technology can be creative, sustainable, and human-centered. With thanks to Pim Smulders, Wessel Bosscher, Joey Boon and Irma de Vries.

Studio Irma

Transformirror

#magicmirror#AI#music

Step into the future mirror and discover yourself in a profession of the future! The large digital mirror shows what you would look like and also lets you hear what that job would sound like. Everything, from visuals to sound, is created by AI. A unique and fun way to play with the future, technology, and your own imagination.

Daito Manabe en Kyle McDonald

TimeGarden

#VR#gardening#futurerobot

Put on your VR headset and enter a greenhouse in a distant future where robots have taken over the Earth and nature has been destroyed. You'll be welcomed by a steampunk-style robot owl who understands the importance of nature and helps you restore it. Will you bring life back to the greenhouse? XR Lab is a collaboration between Mediacollege Amsterdam and Grafisch Lyceum Utrecht. Game development by: Safwan Almashnouk, Bo Bakker, Ivo Bergen, Marissa van den Berg, Lars Besseling, Max Boers, Tommes Ettema, Thomas van Groen, Jamie van den Hoek, Raymond de Kruijff, Sanne van der Kuijl, Zico Lensen, Gino Schaap, Jilenko van Schepping, Eliza Voets, and Dylan A. Wagterveld. Spatial design by: Guusje van Avezaath, Nadia de Boer, Indy van Hattum, Mirthe Jepma, Yara van der Laan, Jorinde de Leeuw, Ruben de Rivecourt, Claire Romkes and Finn Schouten

XR Lab

VR Proefkonijnen: Chaos in het lab

#VR#science#putoutafire

Enter the Guinea Pig Test Lab and become a super-smart scientist yourself! In this exciting VR experience, you can investigate and extinguish fire, just like Jurre and Sahil in the BNNVARA series. Don your lab coat and safety goggles, discover what happens when fire comes into contact with different materials, and solve the fire. Can you act smartly and quickly? BNNVARA & Studio VRij

BNNVARA & Studio VRij

What is it like to be an ancestor ?

Ancestors (Junior edition)

Take a peek into the future with this collective experience. Using AI and smartphones, you and others raise a digital baby and discover what it means to be an ancestor. What will the world look like 200 years from now? And what role do you play in shaping it today?

Created by The Smartphone Orchestra, Steye Hallema and Hanna Haaslahti. Ancestors was awarded a Golden Calf for Digital Culture during NFF 2025.

The Junior version of Ancestors will premiere at Cinekid and was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of the Future, with thanks to the VriendenLoterij Fund. In 2025, the Ministry of the Future will be experimenting in seven pilot locations across the Netherlands with “Assemblies for Future Thinking”. During these sessions, participants go on a time journey together to reflect on the long-term future of their place. Read more at: Ministry of the Future

The Great Solar Storm

#radio#magicportal#move

Did you hear about The Great Solar Storm that just happened? It has opened time portals all over Cinekid Festival. Grab a magical time traveling radio kit and explore! As you move through the MediaLab, you will hear voices from other times. Listen, follow, and join in! Move like an evolving dinosaur, morph and transform as an element, and communicate with dancing vibrations. Afterwards leave your impressions on the cosmic collage! Created collectively by : Bridget Fiske, Joseph Lau, Stelios Manousakis, Stephanie Pan | Original concept & Interaction system : Stelios Manousakis | Choreography & Text : Bridget Fiske and Joseph Lau | Music composition & Sound : Stelios Manousakis and Stephanie Pan | Voice & Dutch Translation : Stephanie Pan | Producers: Stichting Modulus and Project Auske | Created as part of the project ‘They Gather’

Bridget Fiske, Joseph Lau, Stelios Manousakis, Stephanie Pan

Gargoyle Doyle

#VR#funny#travelthroughtime

Put on your VR headset and fly through the centuries! In this fun experience, you'll meet Gargoyle Willem, a grumpy gargoyle, and his neighbor Chet, an endlessly chattering drainpipe. Together, they've been attached to a cathedral for hundreds of years. As you travel through time with them, you'll discover how an unexpected friendship can develop, even between two ancient opposites. Text and Direction: Ethan Shaftel | Co-Writer: Josh Covitt | Animation: Frank Stringini | Unity: Santiago Racca | Art: Robert Barrier, MeshMasters | Production: Ethan Shaftel, Ezequiel Lenardon, Gerda Leopold Translation and Dutch voices: Wim Pel Productions - Translation: Rutger Le Poole | Engineer: René Schardt | Main cast: Willem/Doyle: Louis van Beek | Fred/Chet: Thijs Steenkamp | Verteller/Narrator: Donna Vrijhof | Additional cast: Jelle Amersfoort, Hein van Beem, Bente van den Brand, Wiebe-Pier Cnossen, Stephan Holwerda, Abe Keurentjes, Ad Knippels, Nine Meijer, Reinder van der Naalt, Jeske van der Staak, Roos van der Waerden

Ethan Shaftel

Playing Democracy 2.0

#pong#playtogether#move

Play a giant version of Pong using your own body as a controller! 3D cameras track your movements, and you play with up to three others simultaneously. But there's a twist: after each score, you can change the rules. This way, you playfully discover how power and democracy work, and together you create new rules that challenge the boundaries of democracy. Sound design by uah.

Ling Tan

Oto's Planet

#VR#exciting#stranger

On Oto's small planet, everything seems peaceful... until hyperactive astronaut Exo crash-lands. From that moment on, their worlds collide, and you must help them make coexistence a success. In this unique VR experience, you'll walk around the planet, zoom in and out, and embark on a fun and exciting adventure with a surprising ending. Do you dare?

Gwenael François

Parallax

#VR#worlds#playtogether

Step into a unique VR game for two players, where you'll each find yourself in a completely different world. One is green and teeming with life, the other cold and metallic. Only by working together, sharing clues, and passing on keys can you both save your world from destruction. In collaboration with the Royal Academy of Art and Pablo Garayoa.

KABK: Suy Jung, Alice González, Ingrid Costan, Rubing Dong

The Space Archivists

#VR#archive#space

Imagine: the end of the world is nigh. To preserve the memories of life on Earth forever, an archive full of media items—such as photos and videos—has been sent into space. But oh no! A meteorite has crashed into the archive... Are you the brave space traveler who can save the archive?! TRANSMIXR - In collaboration with Beeld & Geluid, Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Khora, Technological University of the Shannon, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

TRANSMIXR

Do you dare to embrace a robot?

Embrace Angels

Step onto the red carpet and teach the robot arms to hug. By practicing with as many people as possible, the robot will get better and better. Can a robot actually learn to hug? What do you feel when you hug a robot, and what do you think the robot feels? Using sensors and AI, you and the robot will create memories for the future together.

By Karen Lancel en Herman Maat.

This project is a manifestation of a larger research project in collaboration with: Mixed Reality Lab and the Cobot Maker Space at the University of Nottingham (UK), supported by the UKRI Turing AI Research Fellowship of Prof. Steve Benford | Somabotics Turing AI Fellowship “Turing AI World Leading Researcher Fellowship: Creatively Embodying Artificial Intelligence [grant number EP/Z534808/1]” | LI-MA, Platform for Living Media Art, Amsterdam (NL) | University of Exeter, Performance and New Media Art (UK) | KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, research on ethics and soma design | TU Delft, research into social interaction through touch.

With thanks to the Stimuleringsfonds and the Mondriaan Fund.

Games

Play the newest and coolest games! The 10 games nominated by the Junior Crew and Professionals jury are all available to play at the festival! The winner of the Game Award will be announced on October 23, 2025. Read more about the Game Award here.

Breaking News

#game#television#smacking

Breaking News is a chaotic and fun adventure where you can change the world by hitting an old-fashioned TV. Surf through crazy broadcasts, solve mini-games, and discover surprises. Every hit changes something in the game, forcing you to experiment and discover new challenges. Fun, crazy, and full of chaos!

Maker: Luna Duck Studios

Oddada

#game#makemusic#creative

Oddada is a magical music game where you can experiment endlessly. Travel with your train past interactive instruments and build your own track layer by layer. Every round is different: discover new melodies, collect tapes, and share your music with friends. A creative game full of surprises, where you are the composer!

Makers: Sven Ahlgrimm, Mathilde Hoffmann and Bastian Clausdorff

Wilmot Works It Out

#game#puzzle#decoration

Wilmot Works It Out is a fun puzzle game where you create beautiful pictures and hang them in your home. Today you might puzzle an octopus, tomorrow a hamburger! With each completed puzzle, you earn new options to decorate your home: choose colors, wallpaper, furniture... even cats. Make Wilmot's house your own!

Maker: Hollow Ponds

Judofuri

#game#fruit#playtogether

You only need one button to compete in this fruity party game! Press it, squeeze it & mash it in a series of silly mini-games for multiple players and claim your spot as the juiciest fruit of ‘em all!

Maker: Nicolas Ceriani

Paper Trail

#game#foldpaper#puzzles

Paper Trail is a beautiful puzzle adventure set in a world of paper. You play as Paige, who leaves home to go to college. By folding the paper, you discover new paths, solve riddles, and uncover hidden secrets. An atmospheric and clever game where every fold reveals a new adventure.

Maker: Newfangled Games

Kabuto Park

#game#nature#insects

Experience a summer as Hana, a little girl on vacation. Catch the most beautiful beetles, train them, and assemble a team to defeat other children in the Summer Beetle Battles. Expect relaxing beetle catching, simple battles, and summer fun.

Maker: Doot Tiny Games

Map Map - A Game About Maps

#game#adventure#make-a-map

Map Map is a fun discovery game where you create the maps! As a young cartographer, you and your adventurous friends search for hidden treasure. Explore islands, find locations in the landscape, and map them as accurately as possible. Everything you change on the map also changes the world of your adventure!

Maker: Pipapo Games

Space Sprouts

#game#spaceship#gravity

Jump into a chaotic spaceship adventure where you can try anything and defy the laws of physics. Play as newly minted space traveler Oda, discover strange devices, alter gravity, unleash chaos, and collect memories from Oda's first space voyage. Experiment, solve puzzles, and learn step by step how to master the wondrous world of the ship.

Maker: Schleuder Games

Klokhuis SpeciesSafari

#game#nature#searchgame

Go on a discovery tour with Het Klokhuis' SpeciesSafari app! Find plants and animals near you, from dandelions to frogs. Scan them with the app and score points. Collect all 52 species, create quartets, and discover a new one every week. With tips from Klokhuis presenters and nature expert Bram!

Maker: Klokhuis NTR

Flock

#game#explore#flying

Flock is a cheerful multiplayer game where you and your friends take to the skies! Glide through stunning landscapes, discover rare birds, and add them to your flock. Recognize different species, work together, and enjoy the calm and magical world. A unique game that combines birdwatching with the freedom of flight. Super relaxed. Come play on the very big screen in Cinema Room 11 at floor 3 in Pathé.

Maker: Hollow Ponds

MiniLab

Especially for the youngest children (3 to 7 years old) there is the MiniLab, where they can become acquainted with digital creativity in a playful way.

Beestolution

#beasts#evolution#youdecide

Beestolution is a beast brewery where you control the evolutionary dial! Choose your cards wisely and create an animal that can brave the jungles, oceans, deserts, or clouds. The only obstacle is the harsh outdoors! Fleshy fins, soft fur, and pointy legs: let your animalistic imagination run wild, little Darwin! In collaboration with the Royal Academy of Art.

KABK: Milos de Wit and Iva Balabanova

Oddada

#game#makemusic#creative

More info

Animagic

#workshop#timetravelers#animate

Draw someone from another era: a knight, a princess, or an astronaut. Or color an existing image and discover how we transform your character into a dancing animation using AI. Your swinging creation will instantly appear on your wall with all its friends in a fantasy world, and you can even take it home with you!

Visueel Verteld

WonderWorld

#workshop#playtogether#worldoftomorrow

Help AI Mayor kAI create a great city for people, animals, and plants! In this workshop, you'll design your own piece of the city using colored scraps: houses for birds, rooftops full of flowers, or floating gardens. Once you're done, kAI will convert your design into a digital image. Will it understand what you mean, or will it surprise you?

Visueel Verteld

Workshops

Children can participate in workshops where they can create their own digital stories and artwork. You can easily take your digital creation home with your MediaLab pass. The workshops are free to attend all day with your MediaLab ticket.

Mighty Machine

#workshop#machinelearning#sortingmachine

A machine that sorts things by color? Sounds handy! But this machine is still a bit boring. In this workshop, you'll work in a team to make it smarter. You'll enter data, teach it to recognize colors and shapes, and test its ability to distinguish between red, blue, green, and yellow. Will you score the high mark?

Visueel Verteld

Build a time-traveling robot

#workshop#robots#timetravelbuddy

Want to build a fully functional robot of your own design? That's exactly what you'll do in the BYOR (Build Your Own Robot) workshop. Create your own unique creation from cardboard and other recycled materials and bring it to life with sensors, lights, motors, and more. Who will you take with you on your journey through time?

Build Your Own Robot

#workshop #tijdscapsule #privacy

Create a mini time capsule for your future self

Fill a tin can with your personal data (a hair, a fingerprint, a letter, etc.) and make a time capsule to open in 5 or 10 years. Who are you now? What do you value and enjoy? What does your life look like? We’ll also reflect on the fact that this time capsule actually contains a lot of personal data about you, maybe even your DNA! Who would you trust with it? Would you share this information online without second thought? Concept: Sanna Leupen WAAG Futurelab #workshop #timecapsule #privacy

Special

Roblox Live Show - VPRO MediaLab & Bollox

Do you love gaming and sometimes get super angry? Come to the Roblox live show at Monday October 20th - 2 pm.

Bollox is a VPRO kids’ TV program where angry children create powerful music with a message. During this show, you’ll get a sneak preview of the next Bollox episode, before it’s even on TV. And then it’s your turn! In this live show, you and other kids will unleash your anger in Roblox and together put on a live concert with a band from the series! There will be a real punk band on stage: BUG. You and the other players decide through Roblox how angry and how loud the band will play. Share in the game what makes you angry, and the band will improvise a song about it. The more rage you release, the harder it will rock!

Interactive art, VR, AR, AI, games, workshops and the MiniLab

Amarte x Cinekid Open Call MediaLab 2025

Bacchus, the Story Gobbler

Time Ripple

Innovative technologies: AR en AI

E.M.I.

Transformirror

TimeGarden

VR Proefkonijnen: Chaos in het lab

What is it like to be an ancestor ?

Ancestors (Junior edition)

The Great Solar Storm

Gargoyle Doyle

Playing Democracy 2.0

Oto's Planet

Parallax

The Space Archivists

Do you dare to embrace a robot?

Embrace Angels

Games

Breaking News

Oddada

Wilmot Works It Out

Judofuri

Paper Trail

Kabuto Park

Map Map - A Game About Maps

Space Sprouts

Klokhuis SpeciesSafari

Flock

MiniLab

Beestolution

Oddada

Animagic

WonderWorld

Workshops

Mighty Machine

Build a time-traveling robot

Create a mini time capsule for your future self

Special

Roblox Live Show - VPRO MediaLab & Bollox

The MediaLab is made possible by

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