Filmmaker Sohail Dahdal will present “The Power of Immersive Media to Connect Diasporic Communities with Their Homeland,” on May 27 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the John M. Pfau Library, room  PL- 4005 and on Zoom.

The lecture will be co-hosted by the Extended Reality for Learning (xREAL) Lab with Information Technology Services at California State University, San Bernardino and the Center for the Study of Muslim & Arab Worlds at CSUSB.

Dahdal’s talk will showcase the process of making the virtual reality documentary “Kan Ya Ma Kan fi Filistine” (“Once Upon a Time in Palestine”) to engage Palestinian youth in the diaspora with their heritage. The project recreates a virtual village and places volumetric videos of reimagined pre-1948 Palestinian stories in those virtual spaces to bring a sense of home to Palestinians in the diaspora.

The lecture will examine the theories and implications of using new immersive technologies and, more specifically, volumetric videos and photogrammetry to recreate a space where displaced youth can connect to their homeland.

Dahdal is an award-winning filmmaker and digital media creator. He holds a doctorate of creative arts from the University of Technology, Sydney, and currently teaches digital media at the American University of Sharjah. He is also the founder and creative director of Fifth Wall Immersive Media Lab, an XR media startup based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

He has more than 30 years of experience creating interactive immersive films that challenge the traditional mode of storytelling while preserving the power of a story well told. His passion is creating advocacy and socially themed immersive narratives with the aim of engaging youth in their culture and heritage.

Visit the xREAL website for more information or to attend the lecture via Zoom.

About xREAL: Extended Reality for Learning (xREAL) Lab with Information Technology Services (ITS) at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) is an interdisciplinary technology innovation hub that brings together faculty, students, and staff to imagine and design immersive learning experiences with 3D modeling and printing, augmented reality, mixed reality, virtual reality, motion caption, and machine learning technologies. Each year, xREAL works with faculty fellows and undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines to provide a vision for future teaching and learning, mentorship and hands-on experience for the students, and sustainable innovation for the larger campus community.

About CSMAW: The Center for the Study of Muslim & Arab Worlds (CSMAW) at CSUSB serves as a flagship for international dialogue and academic excellence for students and faculty as well as the local and international communities. The Center supports research, lectureships, curriculum development, and community outreach in order to advance the study of Islam and the Arab region.

Sohail Dahdal event flyer.