The Financial Times is today launching Hidden Cities: Dublin, an immersive virtual reality documentary created in collaboration with Google. It is the latest iteration in the FT’s successful VR series exploring some of the world’s top cultural and political capitals.

Titled ‘Dublin in the Dark: The Story of Emerald Noir’ and filmed in 3D, the documentary highlights the tensions between the city’s past and present, uncovering the new wave of Irish crime writers and their relationship to Ireland’s world-famous literary traditions. The video is narrated by award-winning Irish crime writer Tana French, who explores modern Dublin in her novels, and in this piece shows viewers a different side of the literary city.

Natalie Whittle, FT Weekend Magazine associate editor and editorial lead on Hidden Cities, said: “Using VR technology has enabled us to be more creative in our documentary approach and enhance parts of the city that are normally inaccessible. Since the economic crash in 2008, crime writing has flourished in Dublin and we were keen to show how this literary genre fits into the broader changes, both social and economic, that Dublin has experienced over the past 20 years.”

Sian Cox-Brooker, News and Publishers Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Google, added: “Hidden Cities Dublin is a good example of how technology and journalism can work together. This project builds on our mutual strengths–Google’s technology, combined with FT’s editorial depth–to help people discover Dublin’s hidden gems.”

Hidden Cities: Dublin is free to experience, viewable across devices or with a specially-designed Google Cardboard. The print supplement will be published across Europe in FT Weekend on December 3rd.

The latest documentary follows successful launches in Rio, London and Brussels. The concept was created by adam&eveDDB, as a unique collaboration between two of their existing clients. The series has been filmed, edited and produced by VR production studio, Visualise.

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For more information please contact

Catherine Goacher

catherine.goacher@ft.com

+44 (0) 20 7873 4181

About the Financial Times:

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. Providing essential news, comment, data and analysis for the global business community, the FT has a combined paid print and digital circulation of 840,000. Mobile is an increasingly important channel for the FT, driving more than half of total traffic.

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