Premiering at Tribeca 2019: 'Another Dream,' LGBTQ-themed VR documentary combining animation and game elements

Tamara Shogaolu's film centers on two women forced to flee Egypt in midst of fiercely anti-gay climate

In 2017 the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported more than 68 million people worldwide fell into the category of those "forcibly displaced" from their homes. The causes included "persecution, conflict or generalized violence." 

Within that staggering number are an untold group of LGBTQ refugees who have been driven from their homes because of hostility to their sexuality. The new VR film Another Dream, which will make its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this week, focuses on two women in Egypt whose love made them pariahs in their homeland, forcing them to flee.

The documentary project, directed by Tamara Shogaolu, marks the second installment of a series called Queer in a Time of Forced Migration from production company Ado Ato Pictures, which reveals stories from Egypt, Sudan and Saudi Arabia, "from the 2011 Revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa region to the world today."

Audiences take part in their unforgettable journey through first­hand audio accounts, breathtaking visuals, and ground­breaking uses of interactive VR technology.

--From a description of Another Dream provided by producer Ado Ato Pictures

Another Dream invites viewers into an immersive experience as the couple at the heart of the film escape Cairo and seek safety and acceptance in the Netherlands. 

"Audiences take part in their unforgettable journey through first­hand audio accounts, breathtaking visuals, and ground­breaking uses of interactive VR technology," according to Ado Ato. "Traditional 2D and 3D animation is combined with animation hand painted in the virtual space. A hybrid between a film and a VR game, Another Dream enhances traditional storytelling by requiring players to interact in order to move forward, allowing them to move around and personally explore the world of the story."

Another Dream is part of Tribeca's Immersive's Storyscapes competition. The 20-minute VR film debuts Friday, April 26, with multiple screening opportunities in the following days. 

Watch the trailer here:

ANOTHER DREAM / حلم آخر – Teaser from Ado Ato Pictures on Vimeo.