FYC: Maria Bello's "The Sun Ladies" - Outstanding Original Interactive Program

The "Sun Ladies" team is thrilled to be considered for an Outstanding Original Interactive Emmy. There is only 5 days left for voting for the members of the Interactive Peer Group!

The Sun Ladies VR experience is an in-depth look at the personal journey of Xate Singali, captain of an all-female Yazidi brigade who take up arms against ISIS in order to rescue their Yazidi sisters from sex slavery. It premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, followed by selections at SXSW, HotDocs, CPH:DOX, Docaviv Beijing Film Fest, Sydney Film Fest, Seattle Film Festival and won the Best VR Documentary award at the 2018 World VR Forum in Switzerland.

“I have been told first hand accounts from women around the world about the sexual violence they have experienced at the hands of their enemies,” said producer Maria Bello. “When I heard that some women in Kurdistan had started their own army to fight ISIS to bring their sisters back from sex slavery, I had to tell their story. They are fighting back against the most extreme sexual violence with force. It begs the question: how are we all fighting back?”

The Sun Ladies VR is produced by Maria Bello and Celine Tricart, and directed by Christian Stephen and Celine Tricart. The film features 360° 3D video with spatial audio, and mixes live action footage captured in Iraq with animation created by Wesley Allsbrook—the artist behind the Emmy-nominated, Dear Angelica VR experience. Following the film, audiences will have the opportunity to reflect on the experience and write a letter to the Sun Ladies which will then be translated and brought back to Iraq by directors Christian Stephen and Celine Tricart.

“The Sun Ladies VR experience is not just a film. VR is known as an empathy machine, but empathy needs to be practiced,” says Maria Bello. “The entirety of the experience—with its call to action—expands the worldwide conversation on how we each fight back against sexual violence and oppression and how we are all in it together, whether we are from Kurdistan or America.”

Trailer:

https://vimeo.com/210654040

If you are in the Interactive Peer Group and want to know more about "The Sun Ladies" or see it in its entirety, please don't hesitate to reach out directly to me. 

HOW DO I VIEW THE SUBMISSION / VOTE?

TO VIEW:

1. Log in with your member username and password at view.TelevisionAcademy.com/judging

2. Select Interactive Media peer group in the left column

3. Select Original Interactive Program in the left column

4. Watch "The Sun Ladies" (and other entries of course!)

TO VOTE: 

1. Log in with your member username and password at vote.TelevisionAcademy.com

2. Select a verification code method: text, email or voice call

3. Input your verification code

3. VOTE!

Thank you for your consideration!

The "Sun Ladies" team