Climate change has become a hot topic of debate in recent times. With everyone from scientists to the president chiming in, it’s only natural the film industry is following suit. In honor of Earth day, Purist and Alfa Development have teamed up to showcase the growing problem with an exclusive screening of VR series and TriBeCa Film Festival Official Selection of This is Climate Change.
Charged with climate friendly cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, the DJ spun tunes through the luxurious penthouse, while lines formed of environmentally conscience party goers. With the ambience pumping, the main event was a series of virtual reality infused mini- documentaries outlining the effects of climate change on our planet. With 2 simultaneous episodes being showcased viewers could alternate between an arctic adventure watching the ice caps melt over the glaciers, and learning about the deforestation of the Brazilian Jungle.
Narrated by Al Gore, former US president and climate change activist, the arctic adventure is an explosive sensory submergence. Whizzing between an arial view we can see sea creatures native to the area including penguins and sea cows playing, and a first hand perspective of racing down waterfalls as the ice caps melt was a immersive experience. The 360 view allowed the viewer to feel apart of the surrounds and take part in something the earth feels daily.
Cattle ranching is the leading cause of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. In Brazil, this has been the case since at least the 1970s. With more than 5 football fields being removed every minute. The simulation starts of with a pilots eye which then unexpectedly drops you into a thick tree lined jungle. We are then confronted by an up close and personal act of deforestation while learning about fauna and flora that we are desperately losing by the minute.
The night concluded with a toast by Purist founder Cristina Cuomo. With all this action for climate change, we hope the next step is a shift to secure the planet for many more years to come.
