The Highway of Tears is a virtual reality documentary about the story of one young woman, Ramona Wilson, who went missing along British Columbia’s Highway of Tears in 1994. Directed by Anishinaabe filmmaker Lisa Jackson, and produced in partnership with CBC’s The Current, the piece transports the viewer to Ramona’s mother Matilda's home and then on to the notorious highway where, according to Indigenous communities, more than 40 Indigenous women have gone missing since the 1970s. The documentary premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival’s POP VR series in 2016.
A look behind the scenes at the making of Highway of Tears VR.
The film was shot in and around Smithers, British Columbia over the course of three days.
A drone team was employed to capture aerial footage of the highway, to lend context to the story of Ramona Wilson’s disappearance.
The virtual reality piece was used to augment a cross-Canada series of town hall events hosted by CBC’s The Current, inviting community discussion around the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.