ecosphere, the award winning documentary title from immersive technology studio PHORIA, and Meta Quest, has released brand new 360° content in partnership with the United Nations.

Since its initial launch in 2020, ecosphere has wowed Meta Quest users with intimate natural history films, produced with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Silverback Films. Now audiences will see ecosphere expand further into the social impact space, to become a hub for stories about humanity — and communities who are working together to overcome conflict, build peace and safeguard their way of life.

Ecosphere started as a PHORIA produced series, bringing unreachable parts of nature to people with world-first VR camera technology,” emphasises Samuel Tate Goudie, XR Director at PHORIA. “Since its launch, the application has found an audience of over half a million visitors. We see the development of the ecosphere platform as a way to bring immersive impact stories to a huge audience, but also to explore the way these stories are told. Immersive software allows for shared experience, interactivity, and presence that not only elevates the medium, but will come to define it.”

The ecosphere ‘United Nations: Futuring Peace’ series will include a series of special episodes, including Sea of Islands and Pathways Colombia. Musalem, which will take users on an immersive journey into Yemen, will be added soon.

Sea of Islands, produced by PHORIA, Media Farm Studios and UN DPPA, explores how Fijians are facing the consequences of climate change and building climate resilience for future generations.

For filmmaker Joseph Purdam, the Co-Founder and Experiential Director of PHORIA, Sea of Islands is a vital story about how cultural knowledge is helping locals adapt to the global climate crisis: “Communities in the Pacific islands are under constant and growing threat from impacts of climate change. These stories, of Viti Levu, Kadavu, Gau Island, are inspiring case studies that we have the honour of witnessing and sharing. They demonstrate the power of indigenous knowledge to adapt to the challenges of a changing climate and their wisdom deserves to be recognised on a global stage.”

“Climate security is really at the heart of this content,” adds Gabrielle Allen, CEO of Media Farm Studios and Executive Producer for Sea of Islands. “I believe audiences will come to appreciate just how vulnerable these communities really are, and how much work is being done with the United Nations to forge a more secure future for the Pacific Islands.”

“Pathways Colombia is an immersive virtual reality experience about the peace process in Colombia,” explains Martin Waehlisch, Team Leader of the DPPA Innovation Cell. “Produced with Gusano Films, the VR experience illustrates achievements and obstacles in the reintegration and reconciliation process, while at the same time bringing to light persisting security challenges and resilience of all those committed to achieving sustainable peace in the country. We are excited that Pathways Colombia is added to the ecosphere platform, which will help the UN expand outreach to the growing VR community.”

“Virtual Reality is a crucial medium in our interdisciplinary ‘Futuring Peace’ efforts,” adds Naoko Takahashi Taymanov, Political Affairs Officer from the UN DPPA Innovation Cell. “We are keen to strengthen public engagement on UN issues such as climate change and peacebuilding. Ecosphere allows us to connect better and more easily with VR consumers, while sensitising them for the United Nations global agenda.”

ecosphere ‘United Nations: Futuring Peace’ is available from June 15th.

To download the series for free, visit the Oculus store or Oculus TV.

About ecosphere
ecosphere is an immersive VR social impact platform, created by PHORIA, in partnership with Meta’s Oculus. The first season of ecosphere, released in 2020, ambitiously sought to immerse audiences in the wildest places on Earth. Produced with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Silverback Films, and narrated by Emmy Award winning actress Anna Friel, ecosphere explores the great savannahs of Kenya, the ancient jungles of Borneo, and the rich coral reefs of Raja Ampat. Since its release, ecosphere has been nominated for a Webby Award, Cannes XR and has been selected by film festivals worldwide.

To discover more, visit phoria.com.au/projects/ecosphere

About PHORIA
PHORIA is an award winning immersive tech studio that specialises in cutting-edge Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR/XR) technology. With a globally recognised team of developers, creatives and partners, PHORIA is on a mission to transform human experiences, connecting users with intelligent physical environments. They create powerful user interactions and social experiences, all with the goal to generate a positive impact on the world.

Find PHORIA at phoria.com.au

About Media Farm Studios
Media Farm Studios is a USA and UK based multimedia finance, development, production and distribution company, formed to meet the demand for content that inspires, entertains and unites people across cultures and communities. Media Farm Studios has helped to plan and pioneer award-winning
campaigns, working on more than 50 films, from Hollywood blockbusters to independent productions, with major Film Studios and broadcast TV networks, including Warner Bros, Universal, MGM, Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony, Open Road, Focus Features, Lionsgate, Netflix, NBC, CBS, ABC and many others.

Media Farm Studios develops powerful films, documentaries and immersive tech/XR content with themes of resilience, hope, triumph and inspiration to transform our world. A core focus is on cultivating innovative strategies and collaborative media programs for use in education and entertainment with a focus to support the environmental health of the planet and society, now and for the future.

Find Media Farm Studios at https://www.mediafarm.biz/

About the UN DPPA Innovation Cell
In 2020, the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UN DPPA) established the Innovation Cell is a dedicated capacity to explore, pioneer, support, and leverage cross-cutting methodologies, including new technologies, behavioral insights, immersive visualisation, and other means to advance the implementation of the Department’s mandate. As part of the UN Innovation Network, the Innovation Cell serves as a catalyst for innovation across the Department and its field presences to strengthen the UN’s conflict prevention, mediation and peacebuilding effort in this spirit.

Find the DPPA Innovation Cell at https://futuringpeace.org/

About Meta Quest
The Meta Quest team at Reality Labs lets people defy distance—connecting with each other and the world—through world-class VR hardware and software. The Meta Quest content team pursues the creation of best-in-class games, narrative experiences, and new VR use-cases like fitness, productivity, and travel. Meta Quest joins other teams at Reality Labs dedicated to cutting-edge research, computer vision, haptics, social interaction, and more. Reality Labs is committed to driving the state of the art forward through relentless innovation.

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