Experience Life “Under the Net”: A Virtual Reality Film by Nothing But Nets

Today, we are thrilled to officially release our very first virtual reality film, titled “Under the Net.” The film is premiering at the Cinequest Film and VR Festival and it has been named Best VR Documentary. It is available on Discovery VR, Discovery Communications’ Webby- and Shorty-award winning virtual reality offering, which is available for download and viewing on iOS and Android, Samsung Gear VR, and on Nothing But Nets YouTube using Google Cardboard.

The film features an 11-year-old girl named Amisa, a refugee living in the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania with her mother and six siblings. Struggling to survive each day, with no protection from mosquitoes that carry malaria at night, the viewer will experience Amisa’s life through her eyes. Hope abounds as her family moves into a new home, gets treatment for malaria, and she and her siblings prepare to start school– none of which is possible without the life-saving protection of bed nets.

The true power of this film is in sharing Amisa’s story and drawing the viewer into her world. Refugees like Amisa have endured the unimaginable and are extremely vulnerable to threats like malaria. We hope her story conveys just how crucial a simple bed net can be as a catalyst for her health, her education, and her ability to survive and thrive. The film also provides insights into the challenging, complex, and life-saving work of our partner, UNHCR, in protecting and caring for refugees.

Every two minutes, a child dies from malaria. We work closely with our UN partners across sub-Saharan Africa, to ensure vulnerable populations, including children, refugees, and families displaced by conflict, are protected from the disease.

The film was created by Secret Location and Nothing But Nets at the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in northwestern Tanzania, in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), where we distribute life-saving bed nets and supports malaria prevention and treatment programs.

Today, there are more than 65 million refugees and families displaced by violence around the world – and 60 percent of them live in areas where malaria is transmitted. Malaria is a major threat to refugees – it is a leading cause of illness and death in many African countries, including those where we and our UN partners work.

“Under The Net” was made possible by generous support from Samsung, Sumitomo Chemical, the Ariadne Getty Foundation, Parachute Home, Discovery VR, and Google VR.

Watch “Under the Net” and learn more about how to support families like Amisa by visiting NothingButNets.net/UnderTheNet.