Indefinite
An Original VR Documentary
A VR documentary taking the viewer on a journey into the UK’s indefinite detention system.
Guided by the powerful voices of survivors, Indefinite takes the audience on an immersive journey into the uncertainty and despair of the UK’s immigration detention system. The film is Darren Emerson's second, following on from Witness 360: 7/7.
Concealed behind 20ft prison walls, on the hem of cities, thousands of people are in detention with no time limit. In this psychological pressure cooker, people desperately try to prove why they should be able to stay in the UK. The film hears the voices of those with first-hand experience of being detained as they lift the veil on the realities of a detention system that strips away identities, and further damages society's most vulnerable.
“Virtual reality as a medium has qualities other mediums don’t have. Really, that’s about immersion; it’s about intimacy; it’s about agency within, interactivity and intensity as well. And within that experience, I think there is a genuine sort of exchange between the audience and the subject matter.”
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
The main challenge of making the film was how to recreate the environment and emotional impact of a state system no press has access to and how to build a connection within the narrative to individual contributors who cannot be identified for political or legal reasons.
To that end Invisible was shot predominantly on location at HMP Gloucester, a recently decommissioned category B prison. This is the same level of security that most detention centres are built to in the UK, and having attended one myself during the research of this project I can speak of the similarities personally.
With multiple interviews from courageous contributors with first hand experience of the UK’s detention system, I wanted the film to paint a picture of the confusion, frustration and fear that grips those entering the system. The film is therefore divided into distinct sections, vignettes that tell a part of the story, each with its own style, technique and set piece.
Making this film I have met many extraordinary and resilient characters, whose own personal stories and journeys are full of trial and heartache. Asylum seekers, victims of torture, people that have lived in this country and have family here but have fallen through the cracks of a society that fails them. All of these people could have a film made just about their own life story; however it was important that this film focussed on this one part of their experience, that of coming to the UK and being placed in indefinite detention.
It is a system that erodes identity, traumatises those within its grasp, and creates mental health issues and long lasting problems. I feel it is grossly unfair, and an inadequate way for the UK to deal with immigration removal. It is also a system that in many cases is unnecessary in the first place, given that 2/3’s of those detained are eventually released back into the community, their detention serving no purpose.
I have been continually shocked to discover the way the UK government is treating people they deem “illegal”, and I hope this film helps to shine a light on this system and leads to greater discussion about the situation.
If you are interested in discovering more the detention system in the UK then I would like to point you in the direction of Detention Action detentionaction.org.uk
DISTRIBUTION & EXHIBITION
A Sheffield Doc/Fest & Site Gallery commission, supported by Arts Council England, the documentary premiered at Sheffield Doc Fest in June 2016. Melbourne International Film Festival consequently screened the film. It has also played at Raindance, Berlinale, One World, Geneva, Maastricht and Dubai International Film Festival. Furthermore, the charity Detention Action regularly uses the film to raise awareness of the issue of detention in the UK. The film is currently available on Digital Domain VR.
The film is also available on the New York Times VR app.
