Here Is A Potential Innovative VR Experience Humanizes Cambodian Refugee Crisis

Victoria Bousis’s innovative virtual reality design has transported audiences into the harrowing experience of a Cambodian survivor, offering a poignant and immersive exploration of the refugee crisis. The VR experience, which debuted on the Steam gaming platform in 2024, has been showcased at prominent festivals, including Cannes and SXSW, as well as to genocide survivors in Cambodia and policymakers at United Nations forums.

Bousis’s project was inspired by the story of Vann Nath, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime, which brutally ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, claiming the —s of nearly a quarter of the population. The filmmaker discovered Nath’s book, “A Cambodian —,” on a trip to Cambodia in 2013, which sparked her creative vision.

The VR experience humanizes the refugee crisis, allowing viewers to connect with individuals who have endured unimaginable trauma. As Bousis notes, “These people are scientists, mathematicians, doctors… I feel like they’re almost deprived of their own human dignity because they chose to —.” Her work underscores the resilience of survivors and the importance of preserving their stories.

Bousis has also released a companion short film, “Darkness to Light: When Technology Heals Generations,” which documents the impact of ← →