Lauren Dubowski

After a traumatic encounter, a young gay Egyptian joins the LGBT rights movement. When his safety is jeopardized, he must choose whether to stay in the country he loves or seek asylum elsewhere as a refugee. "Half a Life" is a timely story of activism and hope, set in the increasingly dangerous, oppressive, and unstable social climate of Egypt today.

Cosmogonic is a 10 minute interactive science fiction animated short. It is the first VR experience inspired by the famous Polish science-fiction writer Stanisław Lem — a futurist, well acquainted with how fictional worlds can often encroach upon reality. This adaptation of a 1964 novel speaks perfectly to today’s world, where populism and disinformation threaten democracy. This experience is a testament to the importance of knowledge and community in the universal drive to freedom.

Olek returns to Poland after a few years. He must be in quarantine, but his family refuses to let him in. He has nowhere to go, so he sits in the staircase. Władzio wants to walk his dog, which is about to blow up, but he cannot pass. He has to keep two meter distance and Olek doesn’t even have a mask. Arguing with his former neighbor, Olek confronts his lost love, learns to close this relationship and is ready to face the unknown.

Another Dream, a hybrid animated documentary and VR game, brings the gripping, true love story of an Egyptian lesbian couple to life. Faced with a post-revolution backlash against the LGBTQ community, they escape Cairo to seek asylum and acceptance in the Netherlands. An accompanying installation allows audiences to reflect on what they have seen, heard, and felt in VR. Another Dream is the second installment of Queer In A Time Of Forced Migration, an animated transmedia series that follows the stories of LGBTQ refugees from Egypt, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia, and from the 2011 revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa region.