DEPROGRAMMED
Take a meditative virtual walk through the mental landscape of cult indoctrination. Step by step, you progress further into an environment that contextualizes the experiences and recollections of a former member of the Unification Church, a skinhead and a jihadist. They are your guides as they explain in their own words how brainwashing and peer pressure made them adopt extremist ideologies. The viewer’s gaze is restricted, as a visual metaphor for the limited freedom experienced by the guides; the interaction in Deprogrammed reflects the narrow path the victims were forced to walk. The aim of this meditative and chilling journey is to convey a human perspective on the victims’ experiences. How did they fall victim to indoctrination as teens, and how did they find their way back?
PRESS:
“The work we selected for the digital storytelling award lured us into a world where escaping seems impossible. As you move forward through a simplified landscape you listen to people whose experiences are reflected in the world around you. In this documentary the virtual gives a human perspective on how people fall victim to to indoctrination as adolescents, and how they find their way back.” – Jury Report: IDFA DocLab Competition 2016, Nov 2016.
CREDITS:
Conception: Mia Donovan, Dpt. / Mathieu Léger
Artistic direction: Mathieu Léger
Production: Dpt., Eyesteelfilm
Music and sound design: David Drury
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AWARDS:
IDFA Doclab Immersive Non-fiction Award
FWA of the Day
Awwwards Site of the Day
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EXHIBITIONS OF THE VR VERSION:
IDFA DocLab
International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam
Nov 2016
Mutek VR Salon 3 – Mixed Realities
Rialto, Montreal
Nov 2016
Les Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois
Espace Réalité Virtuelle, Montreal
Feb-Mar 2017
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OTHERS MENTIONS:
Shortlisted for the Awwwards Experimental / Innovative Site of the Year 2016
Showcased by Chrome Experiments since Oct 2016
