VR Documentary About Premature Birth

BREATHE is a VR documentary about premature birth, born from the most personal and frightening experience of my life.

In 2019, my twin boys, Nathanaël and Maxime, were born at just 27 weeks of pregnancy.

For three and a half months, our lives unfolded within the walls of a neonatal intensive care unit in Paris, surrounded by medical machines, examinations, uncertainty and endless waiting.

I began filming these moments in 360°.

Not because I wanted to make a documentary. But because I was afraid of losing my children.

I wanted to preserve something. A memory. A trace of their existence. Something that would remain, no matter what happened.

Two years later, I finally found the courage to watch those images again.

And that is how BREATHE was born.

BREATHE is a deeply personal, 17-minute VR documentary about premature birth, combining authentic 360° footage and immersive storytelling to share a true story of fear, love, resilience and hope.

Watch BREATHE – The Complete VR 360° Documentary

Following its journey through international festivals and markets, BREATHE is now being made available to a wider audience.

Choose your preferred version to experience our story.

The film is best experienced through a virtual reality headset, but it can also be viewed on a traditional screen.

17 minutes to step inside our story.

One small piece of advice: don’t take off your headset when the credits begin. The story isn’t quite over.

A Film I Never Imagined Making

As a filmmaker and 360° immersive media creator, I have spent many years using virtual reality to tell stories.

But BREATHE began under circumstances I could never have imagined.

During the three and a half months we spent in the hospital, filming became a way of coping with uncertainty, preserving fragile moments and holding on to memories of a reality that often felt beyond our control.

When I finally returned to the footage two years later, I was overwhelmed by its emotional power.

I began to understand that these images could tell a story far beyond our own family.

They could help other parents feel less alone, offer healthcare professionals and associations a deeper understanding of the emotional experience of premature birth, and raise awareness of the often unseen realities of neonatal intensive care.

What began as a deeply personal collection of memories gradually became an immersive experience intended to be shared.

Why Create a VR Documentary About Premature Birth?

Unlike traditional cinema, 360° virtual reality allows viewers to look freely around them, creating a different relationship between the audience and the story.

In BREATHE, authentic 360° footage filmed during our hospital experience is combined with computer-generated imagery (CGI).

This approach allows the film to explore not only what happened, but also the emotions and sensations that can be difficult to express through conventional documentary filmmaking.

The documentary does not seek to shock. It deliberately avoids graphic or disturbing medical imagery.

Instead, it offers an intimate and sensitive exploration of fear, vulnerability, love, resilience and hope.

To make you feel, rather than simply tell you what happened.

BREATHE demonstrates the potential of immersive storytelling and virtual reality as tools for empathy, understanding and social awareness.

From a Family Story to International Film Festivals

Developed over four years, BREATHE received support from the Makor Foundation for Israeli Films and Makor Media Lab.

The film has been presented at international events dedicated to audiovisual production and immersive experiences, including:

MIA – International Audiovisual Market, Rome, October 2024.
NewImages Festival – XR Distribution Market, Paris, April 2025.

BREATHE was co-produced with INVR.SPACE GmbH and Daizy Films, with executive production by Visual Solutions 360.

Bringing this project to life required the collaboration of artists and professionals specializing in CGI, 3D animation, VR editing, immersive sound design and audiovisual storytelling.

I am deeply grateful to everyone who believed in this project and contributed their talent, time and sensitivity.

And above all, a heartfelt thank you to Damien Bisson, who lived through this experience by my side.

Why Share BREATHE Today?

For a long time, these images belonged only to our family. Turning them into a VR documentary about premature birth was not something I had ever planned.

But sometimes, the most personal stories are also the most universal.

I hope BREATHE can reach families facing premature birth, encourage meaningful conversations with healthcare professionals and support organizations, and help a wider audience understand what it means when a child enters the world far too soon.

Premature birth affects families around the world. According to the World Health Organization, approximately one in ten babies worldwide is born preterm. Beyond the medical statistics, BREATHE offers a personal perspective on the emotions, uncertainty and hope experienced by families.

Because sometimes, the smallest breath represents the greatest victory.

Today, I invite you to step inside our story.

[EXPERIENCE THE COMPLETE VR 360° DOCUMENTARY]

And remember to stay until after the credits.

BREATHE – Film Information and Credits

Title: BREATHE | RESPIRE

Genre: Immersive documentary, autobiographical storytelling, VR for Good

Duration: 17 minutes

Format: Immersive VR 360° / 3DoF

Available versions: English, French, and English with Hebrew subtitles

Story and VR film: Michaël Kolchesky Bisson

Screenwriting, casting and voice-over direction: Michelle M. Leddon, Michaël Kolchesky

VR editing: Sigi Golan, Michaël Kolchesky

CGI artist: Santiago Kapelius

Immersive sound design: Nati Zeidenstadt, Christian Esteves-Vallée

Motion design: Daniel Nahum

Co-production – INVR.SPACE GmbH: Sönke Kirchhof, Jessica Zippel, Yume Tanaka, Zacharoula Giarlou

Co-production – Daizy Films: Tal Moskovich, Matan Glazovsky

Executive production: Visual Solutions 360 – Michaël Kolchesky

English voice-over: Aurore Padenou, Ryan James Kasper, Sylviane Wilson, Emma Wilson

French voice-over: Aurore Padenou, Seth Shannon, Sylviane Wilson, Clémence Legrand

English-to-French translation: Marie-Paule Wagner

With the support of the Makor Foundation for Israeli Films and Makor Media Lab: Amit Goren, Eveline Kluger Kadish, Nir Sa’ar, Avi Dabach, Nimrod Shapira.

Special thanks to Damien Bisson.

Screenings, Festivals and Collaborations

BREATHE is also available for screenings, virtual reality events, educational initiatives and projects dedicated to raising awareness of premature birth and neonatal care.

For screening inquiries, collaborations or professional projects involving immersive storytelling and VR production, please contact me through Visual Solutions 360.

Story and VR film by Michaël Kolchesky Bisson

Big Thank to Damien Bisson

English version Trailor