Tuesday morning saw the start of a groundbreaking education film show with the Insight 360 Virtual Cylinder Project.

Prince Albert received first showing of the innovative project, which runs until March 30 the Gateway Mall.

“The launch for this show in Saskatchewan is in Prince Albert, so it’s great,” says Amy Bosche, the project co-ordinator of the short film series.

“Insight 360 is a virtual reality cylinder, and we have 4 different shows that we are screening,” said Bosche.

Each of the four shows focus on a different topic. The list includes climate change, refugees, fair trade farming, and vaccinations.

The immersive experience can sometimes be a bit dizzying, especially with some of the drone footage over vast expanses of land. 

“We’ve had lots of people come in here,” Bosche said. “It was pretty busy in the morning, and we’re at a bit of a lull at lunchtime, but yes, it has been steady.”

Hailey Pilon and her mother Veeda Beaudreault were among those who came out for the project’s opening day. Both were impressed with what they saw.

“It was awesome,” Beaudreault said. “It was interesting and it was nice to have the screen all around you like that.”

Pilon said she’d suggest her friends see the show. When asked why, Pilon stated that it was “because you learn from what different people’s lifestyle is, and how other people get to live.”

Also included concurrently with the show is a teachers’ toolkit with suggested lessons to accompany each film, and in many cases, with lessons suitable for each grade. The Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation is the main fundraiser for the show while it goes through Saskatchewan, but it is also supported by the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation and the Manitoba Council for International Co-operation. 

The show is running at Gateway Mall in Downtown Prince Albert, it is free to the public, no matter what one’s age may be, running from now until March 30th.

Anyone who can’t make it down to Gateway Mall to see the films in the virtual reality format can catch them online. For even more in-depth information on this educational project, go to https://www.insightproject.ca/about/