Anne Frank House's immersive app highlights modern-day intolerance

The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam is a museum dedicated to the story of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl whose diary and tragic death at the hands of the Nazis have become world-famous. Now, the organization is shining a light on the intolerance that persists against young people in the 21st century, with a new campaign focused on today's teenagers as well as Frank herself.

The "Bookcase for Tolerance" campaign by Innocean Berlin includes an immersive augmented reality app, created by MediaMonks, through which viewers can experience the lives of young people today facing intolerance. It allows people to virtually enter the bedrooms of Dalit, a woman who deals with anti-semitism in her everyday life; Mees, a transgender non-binary person who struggles with acceptance and inequality; Kuei, a young Black woman often discriminated against because of her skin color; Majd, a refugee living in the Netherlands who still faces prejudice because of his roots; and lastly that of Frank herself (whose hiding place was hidden by a bookcase).

The rooms of all the protagonists were captured in 3D using a special photographic technique called photogammetry, according to Patricio Berríos Lobos, creative director XR at MediaMonks, in a statement. Lobos noted that the effort allows the public to "literally walk into" Frank's secret annex for the first time.

The campaign also includes a series of documentaries about each of the subjects and a teaser film voiced by Elliot Page, the American transgender actor who often speaks about prejudice and intolerance. It was directed by John Kramer, founder of Dutch agency KesselsKramer.

“This bookcase reminds us of what prejudice and discrimination can lead to,” said Ronald Leopold, executive director of the Anne Frank House, in a statement. “Many young people still have to deal with this. The "Bookcase for Tolerance" tells their story. By using the power of personal testimonies, we want to make intolerance and discrimination a topic of discussion and help counter it."