Project Detail

The Canaries Experience

Name: The Canaries Experience
Director: Salma Shalaby
Genre: Docufiction, Experimental, Fantasy, History, Horror
Released: 2025
Duration: 20 min

Synopsis

The Canaries’ Experience Genre: Mixed Reality / Magical Realism / Emotional Drama Format: Immersive VR Film Synopsis: In a world where silence can be fatal, The Canaries’ Experience invites viewers into a deeply emotional and symbolic journey through the mind of Will, a young man silently battling despair. Guided by a mystical canary—an ancient symbol of safety in coal mines—viewers traverse a surreal landscape that blends memory, emotion, and myth. As Will’s inner world unravels, the canary’s song becomes a lifeline—its presence a sign of hope, its silence a chilling warning. Through immersive soundscapes, binaural audio, and haptic feedback, the audience experiences Will’s emotional highs and lows: from the suffocating silence of isolation to the transcendent transformation of the God Canary, a divine guide born from pain and resilience. Blending magical realism with therapeutic design, this VR experience is not just a story—it’s a meditation on vulnerability, connection, and the power of being heard. In the end, the canaries rise—not just as symbols of survival, but as beacons of collective healing.

Visit Film Website

Details

Year: 2025
Type of project: XR / Immersive
Running time: 20 min
Format: Immersive VR mixed reality film / Game
Director: Salma Shalaby
Producer: Salma Shalaby
Co-Producer: Pooja Saini
Executive Producer: Salma Shalaby
Screenwriter: Salma Shalaby
Director of Photography: Salma Shalaby
Principal cast: Sio Wynne, Steven Stroud, Dr Emma Roberts, Sunny Blainey, Harriet Morley, Ashline George
Other Lead Creative(s): Liverpool John Moores University Suicide and Self Harm Research Group, James Place
Assistant Producer: Ashline George
Lead Supervisor: Professor Pooja Saini
Co-Supervisors: Dr Oladayo Bifarian, Dr Ryan Ward
Composer and Audio Programmer: Christophe Péreuil
3D Asset Designer: Boby Ichev
Developers and Programmers: Charitha Liyanaarachchilage, Lead Technical Developer; Owen Monaghan, UI System Developer; Rinku Sara Chacko, UI and C++ Programmer; Max Spencer Hughes, UI Coder and Audio Programmer/ Developer
Game Developer: Sebastian Purves
Acknowledgments: Kira Ann Lonergan, Developer; James Traynor, Technician; Niall Mcann, Advisor; Sarah Haynes and Camilla Affleck, LJMU Screen School; Hisham Nazih, For permission to use his compositions 'Diamond Dust' and 'Constellations'; Allie Esiri, For permission to use 'The Guest House' by Rumi from her anthologies 'A Poem for Every Autumn Day' and '365 Poems for Life', read by Helena Bonham Carter

Genre

Docufiction Experimental Fantasy History Horror Human Rights Literary Adaptation Science Woman Director

Production Status

Post-production

Production Company

Salma Shalaby

Visit Website

Page updates

This page was last updated on 1st December 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

A young Lebanese filmmaker in Paris watches Lebanon's war unfold on her phone from bed. In a state of paralysis, barely able to get out of bed, she calls her father everyday and begins recording her digital life. Using screen recordings, family voices, and silences, the film intimately portrays a generation witnessing their homeland's destruction remotely. Official Selection Venice International Film Festival 2026 - World premiere

Test Track (Tesztpálya)

Director: Lydia Cornett

Year: 2026

At dawn in Western Hungary, 14-year-old Hunor and his family use greyhounds to clear wildlife from ZalaZONE, a cutting-edge autonomous vehicle test track. Their traditional methods serve an increasingly militarized future. Official Selection Venice International Film Festival 2026 - World premiere

Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing

Director: Erik Shirai

Year: 2026

Aare inside look at Japan's private sumo world. Through one turbulent year, wrestlers at various career stages struggle to survive in this punishing tradition. Beyond the spectacle, true strength lies in spirit, not flesh. Official Selection Telluride Film Festival 2026 - World premiere Official Selection Venice International Film Festival 2026 - European premiere Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2026

Sport