The immersive and interactive experience “Home After War” has been selected to compete at this year’s Venice Film Festival in the virtual reality category. It was created as part of the Oculus VR for Good Creators Lab by NowHere Media in Berlin, Germany and in partnership with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)
Synopsis
What if your home becomes a place you fear? Ahmaied, an Iraqi father returns to Fallujah to face the threat of improvised explosive devices. Join him in his home and discover the unfolding of a tragic event. As you follow his story, the narrative takes a shocking turn. An unfortunate truth looms in the space – the death of Ahmaied’s sons by a booby trap. Ironically, while he was concerned about his home being safe, his sons died in an incident in another home just around the corner. You experience the explosion in first person. As you wind down from this climax, you hear Ahmaied speak of his loss and his hopes for his family, country and the world. (La Biennale di Venezia)
Director’s Statement I take the audience to Fallujah and manifest Ahmaied’s fear when he returned home after the war. Booby traps and IEDs are a daily threat here. Creating Home After War has been an emotionally draining trip, with logistical, technical and financial challenges. My ultimate goal is to see change for civilians in the region.
Festivals/Awards
2018 La Biennale di Venezia BIFF - Bergen Cairo IFF BEYOND Festival 3Days of Dimension Ji.hlava IDFF VR DAYS EUROPE 17 MSP - Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention