“Home: Aamir”
Clients: National Theatre, Room One
Home: Aamir’ is the first of a series of collaborations between the National Theatre, Surround Vision, and Room One.
Directed by Rufus Norris, Director of the National Theatre, Toby Coffey, Head of Digital Development for the National Theatre, and Erfan Saadati of Surround Vision, the film follows 22-year-old Aamir, who begins a journey across Sudan, Libya, the Mediterranean, Italy, and France whilst escaping the threat of murder in Sudan.
Deliverables
Facebook 360º
Google Cardboard VR
Samsung Gear VR
Project Brief
VR for Good - document the plight of refugees in Calais
Project Delivery
This project began as a passion project for Erfan Saadati (one of Surround Vision’s most experienced content creators) who was desperate to document the plight of the refugees in Calais. After kickstarting the project, Surround Vision were approached by Toby Coffey of the National Theatre who was interested in collaboration. A co-production was quickly formed to create a compelling story about life in The Calais Jungle and ultimately explore the meaning of home.
Results
The film demonstrates how VR and 360 technology can enhance the process of dramatic storytelling by placing their audiences in the shoes of another.
The project was screened at the Sheffield Doc Festival (National Theatre) 2016 and continues to tour around the world.
Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson from Good Chance Theatre, and all the other on ground volunteers in The Jungle, for both introducing us to the camp and also the work they’ve been doing there – creating an infrastructure where these refugees were not only able to simply live, but also to learn.
Awards
Encounters Film Festival/VRLet (WINNER: Grand Jury prize)
Kaleidoscope (Official Selection)
SIMA Awards 2017 (WINNER: Virtual Reality, Best Director)
SIMA Awards 2017 (WINNER: Jury Prize, Journalistic Achievement)
World Media Awards 2017 (SHORTLISTED: Digital Media Award)
The annual SIMA AWARDS are the official global media competition of SIMA STUDIOS, a 501(c)3 non-profit impact media agency.
Directors Note
“We were overwhelmed by the conditions and daily struggle endured by the people living there. We hoped we’d eventually feel more positive about the camp surroundings, but each time we returned, and as the faces in the camp kept changing, we couldn’t shake that feeling of helplessness. Aamir was brave to come forward to tell his story. It’s horrifying to know that the ‘Jungle’ was nowhere near the worst part of his journey.”
– Erfan Saadati, Surround Vision
“Home: Aamir is an entirely new type of documentary. It combines the production processes and storytelling techniques of theatre with 360 film to create a beautifully-crafted and deeply affecting virtual reality experience that takes you to the heart of the most important issue of the day – immigration – and makes you look at it with a fresh perspective and a depth of compassion rarely reached in traditional media.”
– Mark Atkin, Sheffield Doc Fest Curator
