Sharmeen Obaid’s Virtual Reality documentary about Pakistan will premiere next month

Two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is venturing into the area of Virtual Reality. Her latest documentary titled ‘Look But With Love’ about Pakistan’s social challenges is set to premiere in VR at the Tribeca TV Festival in America this fall.

The Tribeca Film Festival is well-known for promoting the work of independent filmmakers and embracing new, creative technologies. And now it’s newly introduced Tribeca TV Festival, to be held in September, is embracing Virtual Reality by premiering Sharmeen Obaid’s new documentary.

‘Look But With Love’ is a five-part documentary series that tells the story of brave and inspiring Pakistanis who, despite all odds, are striving to change the socio-political landscape of the country. It will highlight five different stories, two of which will be premiered at the Tribeca TV Festival. The first episode titled ‘A Story of Women’ will depict how a group of strong Pakistani females is using paramilitary training to fight terrorist insurgency. While the second episode titled ‘A Story of Dance of Look But With Love’ will follow a woman who teaches children to express themselves via dance. The documentary is being brought to audiences in collaboration with a pioneering virtual reality company called Within.

As Virtual Reality continues to progress, it is interesting to note how it is being adapted in mediums other than gaming. There are companies using it for giving virtual tours, buying dresses and jewelry online, and giving virtual training. But it makes perfect sense why VR, with its ability to give viewers a fully immersive experience, is being adapted for movies and documentaries. There are countless videos and popular movie trailers on YouTube that can be viewed in virtual reality, and Netflix has a dedicated VR App for watching TV series, movies, and documentaries.

While large-scale documentaries in VR have been made before, ‘Look But With Love’ is a first from Pakistan. By leveraging Virtual Reality’s immersive technology it can give viewers a deeper connection to the story and an altogether different visual experience.