Get inspired and educated by personal tales from World War II with the new WWII Streaming Channel, a free app developed by the nonprofit World War II Foundation with 34 celebrity-narrated, award-winning documentaries. Download the app in all major app stores, or watch the foundation's latest VR film, The Tuskegee Airmen, for free on YouTube VR and Oculus Quest.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I., Dec. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The nonprofit World War II Foundation has released a free video streaming app with its library of award-winning, celebrity-narrated documentaries—the WWII Streaming Channel. The app offers 34 original films and counting to educate current and future generations on the values and sacrifices of those who served in World War II. It can be downloaded from all major app stores, including from Apple, Google, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and more. Featured films have aired globally and rank nationally in the top 5 most requested programs by PBS and Public Television affiliates.
"When you marry technology with history, the stories and events of WWII take on new life for modern generations," said Tim Gray, founder and CEO of the World War II Foundation. "From school classrooms to homes across the globe, the free WWII Streaming Channel app and our Virtual Reality 360-degree films make the legacies of millions now accessible and inspiring to anyone who wants to learn."
Remembering the many who served in WWII is more critical than ever, as only 150,000 of the 16 million who served are still alive. The WWII Streaming Channel app hosts over 35 hours of documentary content that can be streamed on TV, laptop, smartphone and tablet devices. Films range from 60-90 minutes in length and span the fighting in Europe, the Pacific and the Holocaust, with personal profiles and storytelling from eye-witnesses.
The app's documentaries are narrated by some of the biggest names in television, music, sports and the movies, and filmed on location where the stories actually played out across the globe. A few popular films include Remember Pearl Harbor, narrated by Tom Selleck; Lifeline: Pearl Harbor's Unknown Hero, narrated by Gary Sinise; Her War, Her Story, voiced by Jane Lynch; The Tuskegee Airmen: Return to Ramitelli, narrated by Darius Rucker; Elvis and the USS Arizona, narrated by Jim Nantz; and D-Day at Pointe-du-Hoc, voiced by the late David McCallum. Additional past, current and future documentary narrators include Tom Brokaw, Dan Aykroyd, Matthew Broderick, Luke Bryan, Greg Kinnear, Bill Belichick, Damian Lewis, Jon Seda, Jason Beghe, Liev Schreiber, Kyle Chandler, Jeff Daniels, Kevin Bacon, DB Sweeney, Tim McCarver and Dale Dye.
Watch for Free: the VR Industry's First Film about the Tuskegee Airmen
In addition to traditional filmmaking, the Foundation is committed to storytelling with modern 360-degree immersive technology to engage new generations with WWII—including through its latest Virtual Reality film produced by Koncept VR. The Tuskegee Airmen is the first in the VR category to feature the story of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, from the obstacles they faced due to their race to their courage to overcome. It is available to watch for free on YouTube VR.
The 18-minute, 360-degree film was shot in Ramitelli, Italy, at the former base of the all-African American flyers; Tuskegee University in Alabama, where the airmen trained at then-named Tuskegee Institute and nearby airfield Moton Field; and over the skies of Dallas, Texas, where a vintage WWII P-51 Mustang fighter plane was equipped with three VR cameras. The flying segments give the VR viewer the incredible opportunity to be in the actual cockpit of a Mustang. There, they can experience what it was like to fly the same plane the Tuskegee Airmen used for unmatched success in escorting bombers in Europe to help win WWII.
"I believe future students won't be reading about events in world history," said Gray. "They will be stepping into them and experiencing historically accurate sights and sounds of that day, moment or situation through immersive technology."
The World War II Foundation is one of very few history nonprofit organizations globally to use VR to teach about the key moments of WWII. VR is proven to have multiple benefits in the classroom, boosting engagement, teamwork and social skills. The Foundation's other three VR films provide a 360-degree immersive view of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941; Omaha Beach in Normandy for D-Day on June 6, 1944; and the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. All four VR films are available on YouTube VR and Oculus Quest®.
About the World War II Foundation
The non-profit World War II Foundation was founded in 2011 to preserve the personal stories of the veterans, survivors and eye-witnesses of WWII so their incredible experiences are freely accessible to future generations. Its work includes 34 documentary films completed to date (and an additional 8 in pre- and post-production), narrated by some of the biggest names in the entertainment and sports world, and filmed on location in Europe and the Pacific. Films can be viewed for free through the WWII Streaming Channel app, as well as four Virtual Reality films available free through YouTube VR and Oculus Quest. World War II Foundation outreach includes in-person visits and virtual seminars at schools and universities, both in the United States and globally, and events held in Europe and the Pacific that bring people together to educate and honor the contributions of the WWII generation. In Rhode Island, it runs the International Museum of World War II, where over 5,900 artifacts, 700 books, and a movie theatre help tell the story of WWII to thousands of students each year. Learn more at wwiifoundation.org.
Media Contact
Claire Guappone, World War II Foundation, 1 5134051188, [email protected], wwiifoundation.org
SOURCE World War II Foundation
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