We’re thrilled to be back at the Tribeca Film Festival this year, showing several projects that explore how VR can be used to expand our perspectives and better understand our world.

The Key

Part of Storyscapes, Tribeca’s juried immersive selection, The Key is a 15-minute room-scale VR experience with a strong narrative structure punctuated by moments of choice. As the participant embarks on a journey from danger to safety, they’re faced with challenges, decisions, and loss along the way. The farther they travel, the more they reveal. Will they be able to unlock the mystery behind The Key without sacrificing too much? Directed by Celine Tricart.

Children Do Not Play War

In Children Do Not Play War, we follow Aloyo, a twelve-year-old girl from Uganda, as she plays a make-believe war game that hits too close to home. Mixing oral history with VR, Children Do Not Play War uses interactive elements to immerse the viewer in Uganda’s quest for redemption, hope, and healing. Directed by Fabiano Mixo.

Mercy

At the age of seven, Edith started to feel a pain in the side of her face. The pain eventually grew into a tumor on her lower right jaw the size of lemon. Mocked and teased at school, she travels to a hospital ship for a life-changing surgery. Thanks to the doctors onboard Mercy Ships, Edith’s surgery is a success. We see the radical transformation it's made on her demeanor and how she sees herself—and we get to see her smile. Directed by Armando Kirwin.

Girl Icon

Growing up in a community that believes girls should stay at home, do chores, and get married doesn't stop Rani, a 17-year-old Rani, from Varanasi, India. She’s determined to graduate from school and go to college. As we follow Rani, she gives us an intimate glimpse of her hopes, frustrations, and dreams. After meeting other equally ambitious girls at a Girl Icon training, Rani is all the more determined to pursue the future she determines for herself. Directed by Sadah Espii Proctor.

The Key, Children Do Not Play War, Mercy, and Girl Icon were all produced as part of the Oculus VR for Good initiative. Through its Creators Lab program, VR for Good pairs innovative storytellers with nonprofits to champion a variety of social missions. Click here to learn more.

Wolves in the Walls: It’s All Over

Not everything is as it seems when eight-year-old Lucy’s imagination proves to be a reality. Help her discover what’s hiding inside the walls of her house in this immersive fable, based on the work by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, created by Fable Studio, and choreographed by New York’s critically-acclaimed immersive theater company, Third Rail Projects. “It's All Over" expands the mystery, where the only thing that can keep the wolves away is the belief that they are real. Starring Jeffrey Wright, Noah Schnapp, and introducing Cadence Goblirsch as Lucy.

Gymnasia

And finally, our friends at Felix & Paul Studios are premiering Gymnasia, a groundbreaking cinematic VR experience produced in collaboration with Clyde Henry Productions and the National Film Board of Canada. Blurring the line between what’s real and unreal, Gymnasia is a dark dream—unsettling and weirdly wonderful. And you can check it out today on Rift, Oculus Go, and Gear VR.

Don’t Forget the Popcorn

The theme for this year’s Tribeca Film Festival is: Great stories are timeless. We couldn’t agree more, and we’re honored to help a new generation of storytellers find their voices in VR.

— The Oculus Team