A journey through gravitational waves and the future of astrophysics: the VIS documentary Einstein Telescope – Listening to the Universe Beyond the Stars has been selected by the jury for the 2026 Fulldome Festival of the International Planetarium Society (IPS), held in Fukuoka, Japan.
Einstein Telescope – Listening to the Universe Beyond the Stars has been selected for the Fulldome Festival of the International Planetarium Society (IPS), part of the IPS 2026 conference in Fukuoka.
The Fulldome Festival is an international platform that showcases outstanding works in full-dome science visualization, including films, digital media, and immersive experiences. It brings together scientists, filmmakers, and visual artists to explore new ways of communicating complex scientific ideas to broad audiences. Being selected for the festival represents an important recognition of the documentary’s scientific accuracy, narrative strength, and visual impact within the global landscape of science communication.
An immersive storytelling voyage into gravitational waves, from the first detections to the challenge of the next-generation observatory, Einstein Telescope, for which the Sardinia region in Italy is a leading host candidate. The film, created by VIS and Telesardegna, was produced by Sardegna Ricerche, in collaboration with research institutes INFN, European Gravitational Observatory and INAF.
Through a combination of scientific insight and visual storytelling, the documentary guides viewers into one of the most exciting frontiers of contemporary physics, highlighting both the technological challenges and the international collaboration behind the Einstein Telescope project.
Following the festival screening, VIS Co-Founder Marcos Valdes also took part in the subsequent IPS 2026 conference, where he presented the Einstein Telescope project to the wider international planetarium community.
The International Planetarium Society is known for promoting innovative approaches to science communication, with a strong focus on visual languages that can engage diverse audiences across cultures and disciplines. The selection of the VIS documentary underlines the growing importance of high-quality audiovisual storytelling in making advanced scientific research accessible and engaging, while also contributing to the international visibility of the Einstein Telescope initiative and its potential development in Sardinia.