Xinemarte Malaysia debut brings ‘The Room Remembers’ to MIFFest
SQNXR’s immersive cinema platform launched in Kuala Lumpur with Ray Tijssen’s 25-minute audiovisual work ‘Fluid.’
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Xinemarte’s Malaysia debut has arrived in Kuala Lumpur, with the immersive cinematic art platform appearing as a special program at the recently concluded 9th Malaysia International Film Festival, Variety reported.
The platform, created by Los Angeles-based creative technology company SQNXR, began its Kuala Lumpur rollout one day before MIFFest opened. Variety reported that Malaysia is Xinemarte’s second Asian stop after a soft launch in Taipei.
The program was built around “The Room Remembers,” Xinemarte’s first thematic chapter. Its opening presentation, “Fluid,” is a 25-minute audiovisual work by SQNXR creative director Ray Tijssen, who also works under the name 0010×0010.
What is Xinemarte?
Xinemarte is an immersive cinema platform designed to use movie theaters as spaces for audiovisual art rather than conventional film screenings. According to Variety, it uses large-scale projection and Dolby Atmos surround sound to turn the theater room into part of the work.
That room-first idea sits at the center of “The Room Remembers.” Tijssen told Variety that art can live on canvas, screens, sculpture and in movie theater rooms, adding: “The room becomes the audience. The room remembers.”
For “Fluid,” Tijssen described the piece to Variety as a vision of organic shapes moving in one current, with solid and liquid forms blending in a space somewhere between the ocean and outer space.
Festival audiences also attended a post-screening Q&A with Tijssen, where he spoke about the making of the work and the concept behind “The Room Remembers.” Variety reported that festival-goers responded positively, with many calling the experience calming and meditative.
How does the Xinemarte format work?
Xinemarte is structured in 25-minute cycles with staggered start times, allowing audiences to come and go freely, according to Variety. The programming is set to change monthly and includes both family-friendly and adult-oriented categories.
The platform was designed for the technical strengths of modern cinema venues, rather than reshaping traditional screen content for theaters. Its model also gives operators another way to use auditoriums outside standard showtimes.
Jazzy Group of Companies, the Malaysia-based entertainment company that organizes MIFFest, holds the exclusive Asia sales mandate for Xinemarte. MIFFest founder and Jazzy Group CEO Joanne Goh told Variety that cinema infrastructure sits unused for large portions of the day.
Goh said Xinemarte lets operators activate those rooms with premium experiential content aimed at audiences who may not attend a traditional film screening. She told Variety the company sees strong potential for the platform across Asia.
After the Malaysia run, Xinemarte is set to expand to Singapore, Hong Kong and other regional markets, according to Variety. Tijssen, who was born in the Netherlands and is based in Los Angeles, has previously staged installations at MOCA Bangkok, W1 London and TODA Dubai.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.