The VR animation ‘Thank you for sharing your world’ (hereinafter referred to as ‘the film’), planned and produced by Kodansha VR Lab Ltd (Head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kenji Ishimaru, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Company’), has been officially invited to the 79th Venice International Film Festival’s It has been officially invited to the VENICE IMMERSIVE competition in the VR category at the 79th Venice International Film Festival, to be held from 31 August to 10 September 2022.

Our production studio was established in 2017 as a joint venture between Kodansha and Polygon Pictures, with a mission to explore optimal storytelling in the new medium of VR. The challenge with this film was to represent the world as seen by a blind boy in VR. Inspired by an interview with a blind man who said that blind people actually live in an imaginative and colourful world, we created an original story and realised a beautiful world that expands through the imagination of a blind boy using CG animation and interactions.

The award ceremony for the 79th Venice International Film Festival is scheduled to be held on Saturday, September 10, 2022.

Director Yu Sakudo comments

The protagonist, who lost his eyesight at the age of 10, lives his life relying on the sounds and smells of his surroundings and his memories of when he could see. The space he perceives, so to speak, must be a world of his own imagination. Such intuition was present at the beginning of the planning stage. How could we then create a VR-like experience of that world? In an imaginary world, there is the fear of not being able to predict what will happen, and there is also the possibility of a divergence from reality (we included these aspects in the production). As we proceeded with the production while trying various approaches, there was something that we felt. That is, even if the protagonist is the only inhabitant of his imaginary world, the joy he feels from living with someone else may well color his world. This is also what I put into the title. I would be happy if I could share the protagonist’s world, which is gradually becoming more and more colorful, with many people.

Producer Kenji Ishimaru comments

How do blind people “see” the world? When I talked to them, I found that the world of the blind is very different from what I had expected. Although there are individual differences, they are colorful, perceive the world in 360 degrees, and feel the inclination of the ground with the soles of their feet. A world that is very interesting, and yet one that you can never peek into. I was convinced that this is a subject that should be realized in the medium of VR. The blind world of this work is just one interpretation, but I hope that this VR experience will lead to some kind of discovery and broaden your horizons.

About “Thank you for sharing your world”

Synopsis

Takashi lost his eyesight in grade school. Though he can recreate the world in his mind, he is losing interest with fewer things to enjoy. One day, Shinji invites him to a steam locomotive ceremony. When he is asked by a neighbor if they are friends, he replies “Shinji and I aren’t really friends”. Hearing it, Shinji runs off. Takashi looks for him, falling into darker state of mind.

With people’s support, they regain friendship at the ceremony. With the train passing by, Shinji’s voice renders him the world one after another. Takashi learns the world could be changed on his feelings.

Outline of the film

Title: Thank you for sharing your world

Year of production: 2022

Duration: Approx. 33 min.

Genre: VR animation

Planning/Production: Kodansha VR Lab

Production: Kodansha

Distribution: Online distribution scheduled to begin in mid-2023

Main Cast (English/Japanese)

Takashi: ZACH AGUILAR / Tsubasa Nakagawa

Shinji: NICOLA FRICANO / Amane Okayama

【Main Staff】

Director/Screenplay : Yu Sakudo

Animation Director : Toshihiko Hanzaki

Producer : Kenji Ishimaru

CG Director : Gee Yeung

Sound Director : Masataka Ota

Music : haruka nakamura

About Director Yu Sakudo

Film director and screenwriter. Born in Osaka in 1990 and a graduate of School of Law at Kyoto University.

Established a video production company “Creative Studio Getsukuro” in 2014 and acts as the representative.

Directed the movie “Checkpoint of the life” (2018). Screenplay works include movies “Follow The Light” (2021), “Alivehoon” (2022), and a TV drama for NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) titled “Pet ni Dohamari Shite, Kaisha Yamemashita” (2022).

About the Venice International Film Festival

The Venice International Film Festival is held annually in Venice, Italy from the end of August to early September, and is one of the world’s three major film festivals, along with the Cannes International Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival, and is the oldest film festival in the world.

This year’s 79th Venice International Film Festival is scheduled to be held from Wednesday, August 31 to Saturday, September 10, 2022.

https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2022