Al Jazeera In 1000 Academic Studies

302. Name: Ruta Marija Vinceviciuté Title: Immersive 360-degree Documentaries as False Illusions of Presence or a Step towards More Genuine Representations of the Refugee Experience: An Analysis of Three Immersive Refugee Documentaries (Life in the Time of Refuge (2017), Dreaming in Za’atari: Stories after Syria (2018) and Lives on Hold in Lebanon (2018) Institution: Universitat Pompeu Fabra Country: Spain Date: 2021 Language: English Abstract: The introduction of Virtual Reality technologies into documentary filmmaking in the previous decade has brought about opportunities for emotionally compelling narratives to be constructed surrounding various social issues in hopes to raise more awareness and provoke real change. However, it is important to remember that just like any other media format, immersive 360- degree documentaries are produced and consumed mainly within the hegemonic Euro-American human rights spectacle, which lies at the heart of all contemporary humanitarian communication practices. Thus, through a qualitative analysis of three immersive 360-degree documentaries, this research study aims to provide critical insight into the current modes of immersive documentary making about refugees and/or displacement. The three immersive documentaries which have been selected as the main units of analysis are “Life in the Time of Refuge”, produced by Mad Productions and UNHCR in 2017, “Dreaming in Za’atari: Stories after Syria”, produced by Al Jazeera Contrast Immersive Studio in 2018, and “Lives on Hold in Lebanon”, produced by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in 2018. These documentaries are all about the refugee crisis in the Middle East such as Syria and Palestine.

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