JFK Memento is no ordinary documentary of a crucial moment in History, the 40-minute narrative is an immersive experience that takes you to Downtown Dallas recreated accurately in Virtual Reality.

Sixty years after President Kennedy’s assassination, “JFK Memento” chronicles the events of November 22, 1963, and the investigation that followed. Produced to be distributed on the 60th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, JFK Memento takes viewers on a journey through the past, illustrated with archival videos, photos, and artifacts remastered in 3D for virtual reality (VR) and told by witness accounts of that day.

The film immerses viewers in the environments recreated accurately and faithfully as they were when events unfolded in 1963. Across five chapters narrated by the last living witnesses, journalists, and investigators who lived through the events, this documentary is a historically accurate record of these 48 hours that changed the world.

To achieve this goal, TARGO utilized original floor plans, on-site laser scans, photogrammetry campaigns, and advanced 3D reconstruction techniques. “JFK Memento” lets the audience understand this major event in American history from the inside, thanks to VR. Downtown Dallas and its emblematic Dealey Plaza crossed by Kennedy’s limousine, the Book Depository where a rifle was found, the Police headquarters…

The documentary uses never-seen-before remastered archive footage to immerse viewers into the events that unfolded in Dallas. Minute by minute, JFK Memento freezes time to recreate snapshots of history using the films and photos of the event. TARGO collaborated with The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, renowned for its extensive collection of materials related to the assassination and its aftermath, to develop these breathtaking immersive vignettes. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza chronicles the assassination and legacy of President Kennedy and explores the history of the 1960s through collections, special events, and educational programs.

Recreating Dallas with the help of AI

Once these seminal archival items were digitized at the highest resolution possible, TARGO’s technical teams developed a pioneering remastering process. Thanks to AI, stereoscopic conversion, and 3D projection of items in reconstituted locations, viewers can watch sixty-year-old archives turn back to life in 3D around them in a vibrant and realistic immersion.

JFK Memento connects viewers with the past by creating a direct link with those who experienced it. Reporter, bystander, detective, relative, museum curator… The documentary features five unique and insightful interviews with first-hand witnesses of the events surrounding President Kennedy’s assassination. The viewers meet these witnesses interviewed at home, in the present tense, and experience the past through their story in a tangible and lively new take on history.

With lively crowds from the archives, vibrant textures & colors from the original locations, and sound archives, the result is a hyper-realistic immersive experience that will make viewers feel they are actually there. That’s the power of Virtual Reality, here explored to tell History in a whole new way.

The immersive documentary, that was well received at different film festivals this year, is designed as an educational documentary suitable for families. It does not feature graphic depictions of the assassination. The focus is on presenting historical facts in an immersive and engaging way for viewers who want to learn more about the events of that fateful weekend in Dallas, Texas.

Other VR experiences from Targo

A narrative experience for all ages, JFK Memento is not a documentary for all users, though, as it’s limited to VR headsets from Meta, meaning you need to have a Quest VR headset to watch it. The fact that Meta supported the production of the documentary explains the commercial limitations but it’s unfortunate that this type of material is limited to just one brand of VR headsets, even if it’s considered the most popular.

TARGO, the studio responsible for JFK Memento is an Emmy-nominated virtual reality documentary studio producing accessible and high-quality virtual reality stories for the general public. Other titles from Targo you might want to explore include Surviving 9/11 – 27 Hours Under The Rubble, the  extraordinary story of Genelle Guzman-McMillan, the last survivor rescued from the rubble at Ground Zero, a unique virtual reality dive into the story of a 9/11 survivor, and Rebuilding Notre Dame, a unique and unprecedented immersion in the cathedral before and after the fire, narrated by the leaders who look after the iconic monument.