SUPPORTER APPRECIATION 2019

On October 16, 2019, ILAP welcomed our most committed supporters to the U.S. Customs House in Portland for our 9th annual India Street Society Gathering. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and refreshments generously donated by Harbor Fish Market, RSVP Discount Beverage, Whole Foods Market, and Allagash Brewing. They then had the opportunity to view A Shared Space: Lewiston, an immersive 360° film created by Daniel Quintanilla, Shuab Mahat, and Hilowle Aden.

After the 2016 election, Daniel approached Shuab and Hilowle, who grew up in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp and are now raising families in Lewiston, about creating a virtual reality experience rooted in their lives. The idea was to document being young fathers living in Maine against the backdrop of political upheaval and rising anti-immigrant sentiment.

“I live, at least mentally, in both the US and Mexico,” Daniel shared, “so I’m always trying to think of ways to bring up topics and themes that relate to those who are living in a place where they might be thought of as from ‘away,’ whatever that may mean.”

Wearing special headsets, India Street Society members weaved between the different scenes in A Shared Space: Lewiston, such as breakfast at Shuab’s house and a Travel Ban protest at Portland jetport. When viewed together, these moments invited guests to ask questions about the spaces we inhabit and reflect on what we lose when we are out of contact with one another.

As Daniel explained: “Virtual reality can transport people to a place so they can experience it from the point of view and perspective of another. In this case, there is a level of intimacy because Shuab and Hilowle took cameras to places where we wouldn’t normally be allowed to go.”

Building on the success of A Shared Space, a collection that also includes the films At the Periphery and Maine to Dadaab, Daniel and Shuab would like to expand to help more filmmakers use virtual reality to tell stories from their communities.