Nothing But Nets Campaign Premieres First Ever Virtual Reality Film, “Under the Net”

Today, the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign unveiled its 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, receives treatment for malaria, and then she and her siblings prepare to start school – none of which would be possible without the

Hope abounds as her family moves into a new home, receives treatment for malaria, and then she and her siblings prepare to start school – none of which would be 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,” said Margaret Reilly McDonnell, director of Nothing But Nets. “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.

Nothing But Nets works closely with its 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 Nothing But Nets distributes life-saving bed nets and supports malaria prevention and treatment programs. “We were incredibly moved by the positive spirit and resilience of the displaced families we met while filming,” said Justin Perkinson, director of “Under the Net.” “Thanks to the unique power of VR, we hope our film will transport audiences to Amisa’s home and community, offer

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 Nothing But Nets distributes life-saving bed nets and supports malaria prevention and treatment programs. “We were incredibly moved by the positive spirit and resilience of the displaced families we met while filming,” said Justin Perkinson, director of “Under the Net.” “Thanks to the unique power of VR, we hope our film will transport audiences to Amisa’s home and community, offer first-person witness to the threat malaria poses in daily life, and help inspire real impact in the global fight against this deadly disease.”

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 Nothing But Nets and its 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. The Nothing But Nets campaign – the world’s largest grassroots campaign to fight malaria – boasts hundreds of thousands of supporters, from students to superstars to CEOs, who all help to protect families from the threat of malaria.

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

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Contact 

Rachel Henderson 

Communications Manager, Nothing But Nets 

Producer, "Under the Net" 

rhenderson(at)unfoundation(dot)org 

570.259.2205

About Nothing But Nets 

Nothing But Nets is the world's largest grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a disease which claims the life of a child every two minutes. Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, hundreds of thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation in 2006. Nothing But Nets has raised over $60 million to help deliver ten million bed nets to families in need, along with other crucial malaria interventions. In addition to raising funds for its UN partners, Nothing But Nets raises awareness and voices to advocate for critical malaria funding for the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. It only costs $10 to help save lives from this deadly disease. Visit www.NothingButNets.net to defeat malaria.

About The United Nations Foundation 

The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world's most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by philanthropic, corporate, government, and individual donors. Learn more at: www.unfoundation.org.

About Cinequest 

A vanguard organization set in the Silicon Valley, Cinequest's uniqueness and impact result from being ahead of the curve in the powerful integration of creativity and technology. Cinequest fuses the world of the filmed arts with that of Silicon Valley's innovation to empower youth, artists, and innovators to create and connect - driving transformations and a better tomorrow. Cinequest does this through Cinequest Film & VR Festival, Picture The Possibilities (PTP), and its sister company Cinequest Mavericks Studio. (Voted Best Film Festival by USA Today Readers.)

About Secret Location, an Entertainment One Company 

Launched in 2009 and acquired by Entertainment One (eOne) in 2016, Secret Location combines cutting-edge technology with traditional storytelling to create digitally accelerated experiences for the web, mobile, tablet, and new platforms like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). It is the first company in the world to win a Primetime Emmy® Award for a Virtual Reality project and the creator of the first original serialized VR narrative.

About "Under the Net" 

"Under the Net" is the first virtual reality experience brought to you by the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign. Premiering at the Cinequest Film and VR Festival, the film by Secret Location 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 in the fall - none of which is possible without the life-saving protection of bed nets. The film is sponsored by Samsung, Sumitomo Chemical, the Ariadne Getty Foundation, and Parachute Home, with support from Discovery VR and Google VR. Special thanks to our partner, UNHCR, in the making of the film.