The Book of Distance

2020~ 30 minInteractive: VR/AR/Mixed Reality

By: Randall Okita

Production: David OppenheimAnita LeeKate Vollum

In 1935, Yonezo Okita left his home in Hiroshima, Japan, and began a new life in Canada. Then war and state-sanctioned racism changed everything—he became the enemy. Three generations later his grandson, artist Randall Okita, leads us on an interactive virtual pilgrimage through an emotional geography of immigration and family to recover what was lost.

Subject categories


  • Cultural Diversity and Multiculturalism > Asian OriginsImmigration Experience and Social Adjustment
  • Families > Immigrant Experience
  • Politics and Government - Canada > World War II
  • History - Canada - 1920-1945 > World War II

Credits


writer
Randall Okita
creator
Randall Okita
producer
David Oppenheim
executive producer
Anita Lee
associate producer
Kate Vollum
project manager
Oliva Amu
Jessica Parsons
Robert Sandberg
art director
Sam Javanrouh
lead artist
Emma Burkeitt
lead programmer
Luke Ruminski
Stephan Tanguay
3D artist
Jeremy Canton
Paul Constance
Omran Faour
Jenny Bermas
concept artist
Mohammed Karam
Rupinder Sidhu
programmer
Michael Sebele
Jord Farrell
Nicholas Fox Gieg
Matthew Fabb
music
Menalon
sound design
Menalon
rigger
Twisted Mountain Animation
MoCap technician
Aylwin Lo
featuring
Lloyd Okita
story consultant
David Bezmozgis
Kerri Sakamoto
UX consultant
Stefan Grambart
Pietro Gagliano
animation consultant
Aleks Berland
animator
Moysis Antoniou
Prashanth Bhogaraju
Kerie Green
Liam McLaughlin
graphic design
Geoff Watson
production coordinator
Jennifer Bertling
Andrew Martin-Smith
Frances Nyarko-Mensah
Carly Kastner
manager, studio operations
Mark Wilson
production supervisor
Marcus Matyas
technical coordinator
Kevin Riley
studio administrator
Patricia Bourgeois
Stefanie Brantner
Leslie Anne Poyntz
unit production manager
Jennifer Bertling
interpreter
Tomomi Kataoka
Catherine Sachi Kikuchi
archival researcher
Pamela Grimaud
legal counsel
Peter Kallianiotis
publicist
Jennifer Mair
marketing manager
Gabrielle Harvey
Tammy Peddle
Laurianne Désormiers
marketing coordinator
Sophie Thouin
Stéphanie Quevillon
social media strategist
Émilie Nguyen Ngoc
Hannah Martin
community manager
Alyssia Duval-Nguon
Mélissa Sauvé
community outreach and partnerships lead
Laura Mingail
senior DevOps
Sergiu Raul Suciu
infrastructure specialist
Sergiu Raul Suciu
head, systems infrastructure
Bruno Gervasi
engineer, development & media
Frank Nadeau
technical coordinator, project
Mira Mailhot
director, R&D and digital platforms
Jimmy Fournier
project manager, digital products
Catherine Perreault
technical coordinator, digital products
Ana Appleyard
art lead
Sam Javanrouh
graphic artist
Alexander Perkins
storyboard artist
Pavel Loudine
production designer
Matthew Morgan
junior programmer
Marishka Kalathil Zachariah
Jord Farrell
technical R&D
Jonathon Corbier
Tyler Sammy
Unity developer
Aylwin Lo
demo editor
Mike Reisacher
microsite design
Trevor Kerr
production assistant
Max Wolfond

Awards


  • Best Work in the Digital Media Division (The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize)International Educational Program Contest Japan Prize
  • Best in Animation (VIFF Immersed)International Film Festival
  • Best Immersive ExperienceCanadian Screen Awards
  • Best StorytellingXRMust XR Awards
  • Best XP of the yearXRMust XR Awards
  • Best Cinematography or Visual DesignXRMust XR Awards
  • VR Golden Fireball Award with a prize of 6000 USDKaohsiung International Film Festival
  • Interactive: Youth (11-17)World Media Festival
  • Outstanding Achievement in Virtual Reality ExperiencesNo Proscenium Awards
  • FWA of the DayFavourite Website Awards
  • Webby Winner in Virtual & Remote: Best Narrative ExperienceThe Webby Awards
  • VR Story AwardBeyond the Frame Festival
  • Prix HorizonFestival du nouveau cinéma
  • Prix SMARTFIPADOC- Festival international documentaire
  • Best Immersive StorySandbox Immersive Festival