‘The Road’ is a new 360 VR narrative short film project on Kickstarter that is looking for funding. The film explores human labor trafficking of many forms, not just sex workers, which is what most people think of when they hear “human trafficking”. Created by Petra Chlpanova, Danny Ryan, and Chad Cooper, the immersive short that puts viewers into headsets which transport them to the epicenter of the human trafficking crisis.
Upon beginning the experience, participants watch as immigrants are coerced into submission by traffickers and forced to work against their will. The film follows eight immigrants as they realize their dream of a new life has been ripped away from them. The story is able to be viewed in many different ways, from different perspectives.
Human labor trafficking is considered forced labor, and is an extremely prevalent aspect of human trafficking. It is often harder to identify than sex trafficking. Immigrants, both documented and undocumented, face a high risk of becoming trafficking victims as they enter the United States.
According to the Kickstarter page, the goal for ‘The Road’ is to reach a global audience. They plan to attend film festivals that support VR and then to distribute on VR and 360 platforms to make it accessible to as many people as possible. The fund’s money will go towards 360 Camera Equipment, VR filmmaker crew, actors, production design, general production costs, post production, and distribution.
Currently, they have almost reached the halfway point of the $10,000 goal. This is one of many new VR for Good films which we’ve seen of late. Recently at Cannes Film Festival, Alejandro Inarritu debuted his US/Mexico immigration experience (which we covered here) that has quickly become one of the hottest tickets at Cannes. VR is an amazing medium for these heart wrenching experience, providing the viewer a never-before-seen opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge by placing them directly into the narrative.