Omoregie Brings Pain Of Missing Migrants’ Families Into Focus Through New VR Film

Omoregie Osakpolor does not create for spectacle. His work is not designed to comfort an audience looking for easy resolutions. Instead, he turns his lens toward those whose stories often go unheard—the forgotten pensioners of Nigeria, the displaced, and the grieving families of migrants who never return. His latest project, We Speak Their Names in Hushed Tones (WSTNIHT), brings the pain of missing migrants’ families into focus through immersive storytelling.

Born and raised in Benin City, Osakpolor’s work has always been deeply personal. He initially studied English and Literature at the University of Benin, but his creative path shifted when he picked up a camera during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program in 2014. Photography became a way for him to engage with Nigeria’s most pressing social issues, capturing images that challenge, provoke, and demand attention. Over the years, his lens has documented displacement, social injustice, and cultural resilience. His award-winning documentary Nation Forgotten exposed the struggles of Nigeria’s pensioners, while Grey, his short film on aging, won the Fashola Photography Foundation Prize.

Osakpolor’s work has never been about detached observation. He embeds himself in the lives of his subjects, not just photographing them but listening, recording, and understanding the weight they carry. With We Speak Their Names in Hushed Tones, he takes this further by integrating extended reality (XR) into his storytelling. Through virtual reality, visitors step into the homes of grieving families, hearing their stories in a way that makes the loss visceral and immediate. “When you put on the headset, you are no longer just reading about missing migrants—you are sitting with their families, feeling their absence,” Osakpolor explains.

The project has gained significant recognition, screening at the Venice International Film Festival, SXSW Film and TV Festival, and IDFA DocLab Forum, where it won the Pitch Award. But for Osakpolor, the most meaningful showing is the one happening now—bringing We Speak Their Names in Hushed Tones back to Benin City, to the very community where so many families know this loss firsthand. Thanks to the support of exhibition partners: the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Nigeria, the Edo State Skills Development Agency, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy

More than an exhibition, WSTNIHT is a call to action. Osakpolor is using this platform to push for a government-led psychosocial support initiative for grieving families. He envisions a structured support system where families of missing migrants can come together, share their grief, access counseling, and receive institutional backing to search for their loved ones. By working with NGOs and policymakers, he hopes to turn awareness into action.

The exhibition will run from March 25 to April 1, 2025, at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, offering visitors a rare chance to experience his groundbreaking use of immersive media. For Osakpolor, this project is not about closure—because closure is not possible when so many are still missing—but about ensuring that their names are not lost to silence.