The groundbreaking 15 minute long film will focus on the people who inhabited the tower rather than the event itself or the questions of who was to blame for the incident.

Combining documentary interviews shot in stereoscopic 360 with computer-generated animation, the film will focus on important events and poignant every-day moments of the residents’ lives, incorporating the contributors’ own photos and video footage. 

The fire at the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of public housing flats in North Kensington, West London caused 71 deaths and over 70 injuries, with fatalities in 23 of the 129 flats in the block. It became a national scandal due to the use of sub-par cladding on the facade of the building which accelerated an accidental fire caused by a fridge freezer. 

The film seeks to draw attention from the discourse around who was to blame and instead focus on the victims and their lives before the devastating event.

“Virtual reality is often described as ‘the empathy tool’ for its ability to immerse and engage viewers so intensely in other people’s stories and other worlds," said David Wise, the film's executive producer. "The combination of 360 video and beautiful animation will enable the telling of this important story in a way that no other medium can match.”

The film will be released on social media and made available for free in various VR stores. There are also plans to enable people in the Grenfell community and the general public to view the film in VR headsets this summer. The project was funded by Creative Diversity and the Alpha Fund. 

The film has been selected to premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest’s Alternative Realities exhibition from 7th June 2018.