Last Dance
Original VR Film
Last Dance
Last Dance, a full-fledged VR short animation that has been highly evaluated by many international film festivals and famous artists for its epic scale and unique VR presentation, is finally available worldwide on Steam and VIVEPORT!
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1576860/Last_Dance/
VIVEPORT: https://www.viveport.com/7d34a4db-1d1a-41fd-8b12-9c185f6e941e
Creators’ interviews(New!)
Director Toshiaki Hanzaki:https://youtu.be/3mpS8wTUbJo
Choreography Akiko Kitamura:https://youtu.be/B0d7bjZhF1w
Music Hiroaki Yokoyama:https://youtu.be/ZdIEbZOZebE
Chainsaw Game & Music Festival 2021
Best VR Film
Award Winner
Siggraph Asia 2020 Lumiere Japan Awards 2020 Kaohsiung Film Festival 2020
VR Theater VR Category XR Dreamland
Screened Title Special Awards Showcase
Synopsis
The human race has devoured itself in war, resulting in the destruction of our home, the Earth.
Only an AI created by human wisdom was able to survive.
The AI escaped into space and was given a single mission: the Regeneration of Mankind.
It kept recreating the Earth and humanity over and over, hundreds of times.
However, the cycle of human extinction did not stop – it only repeated itself every single time.
Just when it seemed history would only repeat forever, a woman danced alone right before the end of her life.
The AI, interested in this woman, could not help but to land on Earth to ask her the reason for her Last Dance.
The encounter between the AI and her would change the fate of the Earth.
Director’s Biography
Toshiaki Hanzaki is a Tokyo-based director.
He studied at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and graduated with a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in Moving Design (2005) and MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Design (2007).
After graduation, he became a freelance film director, designer and animator and lived in London from 2011 to 2013.
He has worked on the production of commercials, video projects and music video in Japan.
He is especially well-known for a music video of one of the most popular Japanese Pop band, “Mr. Children”.
His sophisticated and witty sensibility is evident throughout all his work.
Filmography : https://toshiakihanzaki.tumblr.com/
Director’s Comment
This story is a “myth” in the distant future, in which a god-like omnipotent AI falls in love with a human woman.
But what is so attractive about a human to an AI whose existence is beyond human knowledge?
Perhaps, for an AI that can live forever, the short life of a human is like a trotting horse lamp, with their inconvenient body bound by gravity.
Maybe under these limitations, their glittering dance may look peculiarly attractive.
I hope it can become the VR experience that allows us to rediscover the fleeting existence of human beings and the joy of love through the eyes of AI.
Toshiaki Hanzaki
Producer’s Comment
This is my first time making a feature-length VR animation.
I worked together with Director Hanzaki to create the original story, with our staff gathering the creativity and techniques from all over the world.
Together, we have successfully created a wonderful work that made full use of the goodness of VR media.
I would like to thank everyone for their hard work.
For the time being, we will mainly be exhibiting the film at different festivals.
However, we are planning to broadcast it and release it through events next year.
Please look forward to it.
Kodansha VR Lab
Representative Director and President
Kenji Ishimaru
Director Hanzaki Toshiaki & Singer Julianne Spicer
Choreographer Akiko Kitamura, Dancer Lion Kawai & Yuki Nishiyama
Main Staff
Director/Screenplay / Design: Toshiaki Hanzaki
Executive Producer: Yoshinobu Noma
Producer/Co-Writer: Kenji Ishimaru
CG Director: Omar Espinosa
CG Supervisor: Haruka Ishida
Production Manager: Yumiko Kano
Sound Director: Masataka Ota
Music: Hiroaki Yokoyama
Choreography: Akiko Kitamura
Vocal: Julianne Spicer
Sound Director: Masataka Ota
Voice Actor: Khoi Dao as “AIx”
Voice Actor: Erica Lindbeck as “KEI”
Production: Kodansha VR Lab, Ltd.
COPYRIGHT (C) 2020 KODANSHA LTD.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.