VR film ‘If You See a Cat’ wins top honors at Kaohsiung Film Festival

The VR animated film ‘If You See a Cat’ (Neko ga mietara), directed by Jun Wada and produced by Kodansha VR Lab, has won two awards at the Kaohsiung Film Festival in Taiwan. The film received the XR Golden Fireball Award, the festival's top prize in the XR category, as well as the XR Spark Award.

The approximately 37-minute immersive work follows a boy who is diagnosed with a mental illness after seeing his deceased pet cat as a hallucination. Utilizing a unique VR perspective, players experience the story through the eyes of the hallucinated cat, observing the boy's experiences within the Japanese mental healthcare system. The narrative is based on research and interviews regarding the challenges and structural issues within psychiatric care in Japan.

Directed by short animation artist Jun Wada, this project marks his first foray into VR. The film has previously gained international recognition, including a nomination at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, and has been featured at 22 international film festivals. The production features Japanese voice talent Tatsuya Wakaba and Ryoko Yui.