After an initial list of 10 documentary experiences to discover in virtual reality, focus on those that offer a real immersion in history, and as many key dates to revisit. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we look back at one of the strengths of immersive experiences: reviving memories of the past, or shedding light on our present.
Tuskegee Airmen
Directed by Uli Futschik
Who knows the fate of the first African-American company in American aviation? The 332nd Fighter Group was trained in the segregated American South, sent to Italy and won several battle victories. It was the subject of the George Lucas film “Red Tail”. Here is their story told in virtual reality, back on the scene of their exploit, with the hope of contributing to an essential duty of remembrance around those who liberated Europe.
Letters From Drancy
Directed by Darren Emerson
A triptych commissioned by the Illinois Holocaust Museum and produced by East City Films (along with Charlotte Mikkelborg’s “Escape to Shanghai” and Mary Matheson’s “Walk to Westerbork”), “Letters from Drancy” is the moving testimony of Marion Deichmann. A little girl rescued from Nazi Germany and separated from her family, she survived the Second World War thanks to the help of French families in Paris and Normandy. A journey in her footsteps, and her past, reminds us of the extreme closeness of the trials she endured.
Anne Frank VR
Directed by Knucklehead Studios
Essential content for getting closer to one of the most tragic stories of this period. “Anne Frank VR” is available online, as well as in arcades and other institutional networks, making it possible to build a real educational discourse aimed at schoolchildren. Produced in close partnership with the Anne Frank VR House in Amsterdam, it is an essential tool for understanding the impact of virtual reality on the public.
The Man Who Couldn’t Leave
Directed by Chen Singing
The “White Terror” period hit Taiwan in a wave of unprecedented repression. Filmmaker Chen Singing takes up the subject in what remains one of the most brilliant docu-dramas made in virtual reality, a film of cinematic scope and aesthetic, supported by numerous eyewitness accounts. Gripping in more ways than one, it’s a film that won’t leave you unmoved. Best immersive experience at Venice 2022.
Traveling While Black
Directed by Felix & Paul Studios
Under Jim Crow laws, the American South lived under the weight of segregation. Before the emancipation of the 60s, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, it was not easy to get around as a black citizen. This multi-award-winning film from Quebec studio Félix & Paul looks back at those leaden decades, when a famous little green book enabled the black community to know where to go, how to get there, and find a form of mutual aid. A documentary film that revolutionizes the immersive approach to such subjects.
Champollion, L’Egyptien
Directed by Agnès Molia and Gordon
Immerse yourself in the sumptuous scenery of ancient Egypt, as you discover the temple of Abu Simbel in the footsteps of Jean-François Champollion. Follow him as he explores the site in search of the meaning of the hieroglyphs, and one of the most fundamental discoveries in modern history. An experience that offers you an unprecedented visit to a historic site!
JFK Memento
Directed by Chloé Rochereuil
How do you account for the most significant events of the 20th century? Around the assassination of President JFK in November 1963, the French Targo team decided to propose a new approach with several dimensions. That of virtual reality, that of a truly 3D environment, and that of a creative patchwork of memories, testimonies and reconstructions. In this respect, “JFK Memento” is a real-time rediscovery of the events surrounding JFK’s assassination in the middle of the street, allowing viewers to walk the streets of the city. Impressive.
Accused #2 Walter Sisulu
Directed by Nicolas Champeaux and Gilles Porte
Virtual reality is also (and above all) a novel approach to sound. Based on sound archives from the Rivonia trial, where Nelson Mandela’s mentor was put on trial, the two film-makers added illustrations by artist Oerd Van Cuijlenborg. A unique combo that puts us at the heart of the exchanges, in this historic moment, and accompanies a research project that distinguishes truth from falsehood, truth from lies.
Reeducated
Directed by Sam Wolson, Ben Mauk, Nicholas Rubin and Matt Huynh
The contemporary world is marked by an abundance of information and sources, often difficult to master, classify and verify. A team from the American newspaper New Yorker chose to produce a virtual reality experience to tell us about the ordeal of Uyghurs and Kazakhs locked up in “re-education” camps in Xinjiang. It’s a bold and complex proposition, but one that works to the full, leaving us dumbfounded.
Space Explorers (+)
Directed by Felix & Paul Studios
A documentary series on the conquest of space, “Space Explorers” has a double merit. Firstly, it has collaborated with NASA over the long term to send a camera to the International Space Station. Secondly, it has produced several 360 films a year, focusing on the activities of astronauts, from daily life in the capsules to extra-vehicular spacewalks. A technical and narrative feat, guided by these pioneers of the space adventure, which continues in the form of a vast exhibition touring the USA and Canada (“The Infinite”).