CD PROJEKT RED, the studio behind major franchises such as The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077, has announced the dates for this year’s Promised Land Art Festival in Poland. Scheduled to take place from 3-6 September 2023 inclusive, Early Bird tickets have been released for purchase via the festival’s official website.
Promised Land Art Festival was conceived as a unique platform for professionals across various creative industries, including film and gaming. It seeks to encourage idea-sharing, networking, and the melding of traditional and digital arts. This four-day festival is set to offer a comprehensive programme, offering over 100 hours of activities such as lectures, hands-on workshops, live demonstrations, portfolio reviews, masterclasses, networking sessions, and Q&As with acclaimed creators. As with previous years, EC1 Łódź, a revitalised former power plant now functioning as a culture and science hub, will host the event.
Last year’s festival witnessed over 850 participants, with 58 speakers presenting 42 hours of lectures, 31 hours of workshops, 15 hours of life drawing sessions, and 18 hours of demonstrations across the four-day event. Representatives and participants from a diverse range of companies, including 11 bit studios, Bloober Team, People Can Fly, Platige Image, Techland, Ubisoft, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Riot Games, Wizards of the Coast, Guerilla Games, and many more attended the event.
The studio unveiled the first three speakers participating in this year’s event: Bastien Lecouffe Deharme, Genci Buxheli, and Ben Erdt. Additional speakers will be announced as the festival approaches.
Bastien Lecouffe Deharme, an artist renowned for painting Magic: The Gathering cards, moved from France to the United States in 2010 to continue his diverse artistic career. His work, ranging from large-scale projects to developing graphic novels & role-playing games, has been exhibited in publications and exhibitions worldwide.
Genci Buxheli, a lead character artist at Eidos Montreal, Canada, has contributed to creating main characters for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, often drawing inspiration from other departments to enhance the character modelling and shading process.
Ben Erdt, an industry veteran with over a decade’s experience in character and creature artistry, is currently a lead character artist on Diablo IV at Blizzard Entertainment.
Tickets for the Promised Land Art Festival are now available for purchase. Early bird tickets, priced at 2300 PLN, are limited in supply and available until 12 June. These tickets include access to all festival events, food & drink vouchers, a welcome pack of physical festival goodies, and entry to Open Day—a one-day event held before the festival’s official launch for creative industry enthusiasts.
