Leon Oldstrong’s first VR film Virtually There shines a light on violent knife crime from the myriad of perspectives of all those involved. Brought to you by Solaris2, the team behind The Lies of Our Confines, with the support of Screen Skills.

Imagine witnessing a tragic incident from more than one perspective – stepping from your shoes, and into those of each party involved. This is the power of immersive film, it allows audiences to empathise with the experience of another, transforming viewpoints and experiences in moments.

Knife crimes have increased in the UK by 80% since 2014 and are at the highest levels since comparable data began to be collected. One in four victims are men aged 18-24. 25% of victims are Black. Virtually There is an immersive 360-degree film that aims to build an emotional understanding of the devastating impact of knife crime amongst young people.

Leon Oldstrong

Writer and director Leon Oldstrong’s younger brother was the victim of an unprovoked knife attack in 2017, during which he was stabbed seven times suffering a punctured lung. He was 17 years old. Luckily, he survived the attack. Many more local young people were not so fortunate. This spurred Leon to create films which tackled the subject of youth violence, including the documentary That’s Not Ours (2018) which details the aftermath of his brother’s attack, and the recent fictional short Fair Trade (2019), which explores issues of gang grooming and drug use and how it fuels violence.

Supported by ScreenSkills.

This event is supported by ScreenSkills, the industry-led skills charity for the screen industries – film, television, VFX (visual effects), animation and games. If you are interested in getting into the screen industries, or taking your next steps, please visit the ScreenSkills website for information abouttraining, mentoring, bursaries and other opportunities.

Useful information:

• This virtual reality experience is for ages 15+.
• The experience will take place in Waterside 1 & 2.
• You will be provided with an Oculus Quest 2 headset. Headsets will be sterilized before and after use.
• The film lasts for 20 mins and the whole experience will take about 50 mins.
• Staff will be on hand to give you a brief introduction, help you into the headset, and answer any questions you may have.
• Tickets are £5.00 full / £4.00 concessions

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