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.
The Book of Distance blends techniques from mechanical sculpture, film, and stage to redefine personal storytelling in virtual reality. Family archives add a haunting layer of realism. 2D and 3D hand-crafted sets reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints, evocative character design, and seamless choreography combine with surprising moments of interaction to gently whisk us across the ocean and through the years.
Okita invites us to participate in this generous act of imagination: a space of magical theatre and generational echoes. He never strays too far from our side as we move through the story’s darker moments. His need to reclaim his grandfather’s lost moments becomes our own. Together we reimagine a significant moment in history and take part in a very personal journey of loss and recovery.
The Book of Distance
Production Info
Role
Creative Producer / Producer
Festivals
Sundance Film Festival - New Frontier (2020)Tribeca Film Festival - Tribeca Immersive (2020)Hot Docs International Documentary Festival - DocX (2020)Cannes XR (2020)Venice International Film Festival - Venice VR Expanded (2020)New Images Festival - XR Competition (2020)Ottawa International Animation Festival - VR Competition (2020)IDFA Doc Lab - Spotlight (2020)London Film Week - VR Showcase (2020)Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (2020)Fipadoc - Smart (2020)Games for Change Festival - Immersive Arcade (2021)Powell Street Festival (2021)Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (2021)Awards
Winner - Best Work
Japan Prize - Digital Media Division (2020)
Winner - Virtual & Remote, Best Narrative Experience
The Webby Awards (2021)
Finalist - VR Experience of the Year
VR Awards (2021)
Winner - Best Immersive Experience
Canadian Screen Awards (2021)
Winner - Golden Fireball Award
Kaohsiung Film Festival - VR (2020)
Winner - Best Immersive Story
Sandbox Immersive Festival (2021)
Winner - VR Story Award
Beyond the Frame Festival (2021)
Winner - Horizon Prize
Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal (2020)
Winner - Best in Animation
Vancouver International Film Festival - VIFF Immersed (2020)
Winner - Rockie Awards, Interactive: Youth (11-17)
Banff World Media Festival (2021)
Winner - FWA of the Day
The FWA Awards (2020)
Winner - Best XP of the year
XR Awards (2020)
Winner - Creator of the Year (Randall Okita)
XR Awards (2020)
Winner - Best Cinematography or Visual Design
XR Awards (2020)
Winner - Best Storytelling
XR Awards (2020)
What People Are Saying
“The best immersive storytelling experience I’ve had yet.”
Kent Bye, Voices of VR
“You should be so lucky to experience this incredibly moving tale. History comes alive through masterfully composed animation and storytelling that proves that narrative VR is only now waking up to its full potential”
— No Proscenium
“Best Narrative: The Book of Distance.”
— The Verge (Sundance Film Festival, 2020)
“A piece filled with beauty and longing, that looks to the past to define the present.”
— XR Must
“Great art picks you up off your feet and carries you to a place you've never been. The Book of Distance is that piece for me. It's being universally praised here at Sundance because the tech perfectly serves the narrative.
Beth Janson, CEO, The Academy of Canadian Cinema & TV
“Best Narrative: The Book of Distance.”
— Adi Robertson, The Verge (Sundance Film Festival, 2020)
Additional Media
Walkthrough, Promo, Voices of VR episode