A Filmmaker’s Quest To Heal Through Virtual Reality

Victoria Bousis, a filmmaker at the forefront of virtual reality, has crafted an immersive experience that thrusts viewers into the midst of a refugee’s plight. Her award-winning VR project, showcased on the Steam gaming platform since 2024, has traversed the globe, appearing at prestigious festivals like Cannes and SXSW, as well as in Cambodia, where genocide survivors bore witness to its poignant portrayal.

Policymakers at United Nations forums have also been recipients of this visceral experience. According to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times, Bousis’s journey into this project began with a chance discovery in 2013 – a book by a Cambodian refugee, which sparked her creative vision. The Khmer Rouge’s brutal regime, which held power from 1975 to 1979, slaughtered nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population, leaving an indelible scar on the nation.

Bousis’s latest endeavor, a short film titled “Darkness to Light: When Technology Heals Generations,” chronicles the profound impact of her VR project on those who have endured unimaginable hardship. As noted in the Chicago Sun-Times, she expressed her astonishment at the resilience of individuals who, despite being accomplished professionals – scientists, mathematicians, and doctors – were ← →