Nokia and The Humanitarian Cooperative use virtual reality to show impact of ongoing refugee crisis through a new lens and to...
December 08 2016 - 3:39AM
Press release
Nokia and The Humanitarian Cooperative (THC) have created a
10-minute, documentary-style virtual reality film to raise
awareness of the current refugee crisis and to
support the work of The United Nations Refugee
Agency (UNHCR). The film screens today at a
UNHCR event in Geneva,
Switzerland.
Around the world, the number of people uprooted by conflict and
persecution shows no sign of abating and has worsened in recent
years. Today, more than 65 million* people are displaced either
inside their own country or as refugees. UNHCR works to protect
refugees, the internally displaced and stateless people. To support
these efforts, and to promote dialogue on the plight of these
people, Nokia collaborated with talented filmmakers to find new
ways of raising awareness of these human catastrophes.
Equipped with Nokia's professional virtual reality camera OZO,
filmmakers David Gough and Thomas Maddens embarked on a journey to
tell the story of Omar, a 9-year-old Syrian boy who had to leave
his home just outside Aleppo and spent three years at a refugee
camp in Lebanon, before finally being resettled in Finland.
Screening today at the ninth annual UNHCR High Commissioner's
Dialogue on Protection Challenges in Geneva, Switzerland, the short
film is captured by OZO in premium 3D 360 audio and video,
providing the audience with a truly immersive experience of the
harrowing life of a refugee. The joint production is an example of
how new, innovative technologies are changing the way people
communicate and empathize with each other, and shows how technology
can be used to support humanitarian causes around the world.
UNHCR's High Commissioner's Dialogue is an annual event that
brings together key practitioners and experts on refugee affairs.
This year's theme, Children on the Move, recognizes the growing
plight of young people who are fleeing violence and war, and
struggling to reach safety.
Edith Champagne, Head of Video, UNHCR, said:
"This production was a way to tell a very human and touching story
with the latest video technology. Omar and his family were
resettled in Finland after fleeing Syria, but every day countless
families and children fleeing conflict are on the move, in urgent
need of safety and protection. The opportunity Nokia offered UNHCR
and the Humanitarian Cooperative has resulted in a powerful
approach to bringing the courage and resilience of refugees to new
audiences."
Filmmaker David Gough
said: "It's more
important than ever to look for new ways to tell humanitarian
stories and none is more pressing right now than the refugee
crisis. Working with the Nokia OZO camera and UNHCR on this project
has been a huge step forward for us at The Humanitarian Cooperative
in the way we can use virtual reality to tell human stories."
Minna Aila, head of Corporate Affairs at Nokia,
said: "Our technology helps convey the daily reality of
life in a refugee camp, prompting viewers to think about how they
would react if it happened to them, and how they would want the
world to react. Nokia's ambition is to create technology that
serves mankind; it's not only about making tech human, but making
it humanitarian as well."
The film will be made available to the public in January 2017. A
short trailer that gives a glimpse of the story behind the project
can be watched here.
* UNHCR's 2015 Global Trends report found that 65.3 million
people were displaced by the end of 2015, including 40.8 million
internally displaced, 21.3 million refugees, and 3.2 million asylum
seekers. See the Global Trends report
http://www.unhcr.org/global-trends-2015.html About
UNHCRFor over 65 years, the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees has been protecting the rights and
well-being of refugees all over the world, providing vital
assistance to refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced and
stateless people and advocating with governments and others to
uphold their rights. www.unhcr.org
About The Humanitarian CooperativeA group of
filmmakers, animators and creatives committed to using their
story-telling as a force for change. With over two decades
experience crafting stories and communications through all
established mediums and throughout the developing world, The
Humanitarian Cooperative specialises in building creative
partnerships for good.
About NokiaNokia is a global leader in creating
the technologies at the heart of our connected world. Powered by
the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we serve
communications service providers, governments, large enterprises
and consumers, with the industry's most complete, end-to-end
portfolio of products, services and licensing.
From the enabling infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of
Things, to emerging applications in virtual reality and digital
health, we are shaping the future of technology to transform the
human experience. www.nokia.com
About OZOOZO is a first-of-its-kind
professional VR tool that integrates eight sensors and eight
microphones and exports a single file, thus eliminating the need
for complicated rigs, wires, long setup times, and synching and
swapping of separate memory cards. Designed to remove technical
barriers so content creators can focus on being creative, OZO
requires just one simple output cable and one single file to store
all video and audio data, all in perfect sync. The OZO Software
Suite is a complete professional production package that includes
OZO Creator, OZO Remote, OZO Preview, OZO Live and OZO Player SDK
expanding the human possibilities of the ever-evolving world of
technology. With purchase of the camera, professionals get OZO
Creator, OZO Remote, and OZO Preview.
Media Enquiries:Nokia Communications
Phone: +358 10 448 4900
Email: press.services@nokia.com
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