The Cities Project by Heineken, Tribeca Studios Debut Documentary, Virtual Reality Film About New York’s + POOL Project

Ever wonder what it would be like to swim in New York’s rivers? Heineken, together with Tribeca Studios, just debuted a documentary short and a virtual reality film that shows how a first-of-its-kind, floating pool will bring that dream to life.

The 9-minute documentary, Floating an Idea: The + POOL Story, can be viewed here. Narrated by stage and screen superstar Neil Patrick Harris, the film was created as part of The Cities Project by Heineken to raise awareness of + POOL and its latest fundraising push. The Cities Project by Heineken is a multi-year campaign that helps bring to life projects that make great cities even greater. The Cities Project is part of Heineken’s larger commitment to Brewing a Better World, which aims to actively connect with and serve the communities in which Heineken does business or calls home.

Heineken brought on Tribeca Studios to produce Floating an Idea: The + POOL Story, which was directed by Bianca Giaever of m ss ng p eces. The documentary and virtual reality film debuted August 3 at a premiere party at Watermark Pier 15.

Floating an Idea: The + POOL Story tells the inspiring story of the people who are working to make + POOL, a water-filtering, floating swimming pool that provides access to NYC’s river for swimming, a reality. The film chronicles the history of New Yorkers interacting with their rivers, dating back to floating bathhouses in the early 1900s. Through interviews with + POOL’s founders and supporters such as Joshua David, co-founder of the High Line, the film explains how a floating, Olympic-sized pool called + POOL will filter out contaminants to create swimmable water and clean up to a half-million gallons of water each day.

The documentary aims to generate grassroots excitement around the project and encourage viewers to visit SwimInTheRiver.com to sign a free pledge to swim in + POOL when the project is complete. If 100,000 pledges are signed, Heineken will contribute an additional $100,000 to the project’s development.

“The Cities Project by Heineken is all about raising awareness and providing support for innovative ideas for making great cities even greater,” said Raul Esquer, Brand Manager, Heineken USA. “This film not only shares the + POOL story in a new way in front of new audiences — it also showcases the many milestones that have already been reached, and what supporters can do to help get the project over the finish line.”

A separate 360° virtual reality film provides a first-ever, immersive experience simulating what it will be like to swim in + POOL when the project is complete. Directed by Ray Tintori and Giaever of m ss ng p eces and produced by Tribeca Studios, the piece transports viewers to the finished pool, allowing them to walk on the deck, swim in the pool and marvel at the New York City and Brooklyn skylines. You can view the virtual reality film here.

“Things happen in this city with 1,000 signatures,” says + POOL co-founder Archie Lee Coates IV. “We’re trying to get 100,000 signatures to tell the city we want to swim in the river, and we want to do that with + POOL…. you can’t ignore that.”

“The short documentary and VR film bring + POOL’s remarkable story to life in new ways and raise awareness of how Heineken is helping + POOL reclaim the waters of New York City,” said Paula Weinstein, Executive Vice President of Tribeca Enterprises.

The new films and the $100,000 pledge are part of a broader partnership between The Cities Project by Heineken and + POOL. The campaign aligns with + POOL’s larger goal to inspire people to reclaim their waterways and to publicly demand access to their rivers here in the U.S., and potentially around the world.

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