Fukushima – The Home That Once Was

Fukushima – The Home That Once Was (2023) is a virtual reality documentary in which you can visit the abandoned villages and towns inside the Exclusion Zone of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. Using a VR headset, the viewer can move freely through these spaces and meet former residents who share their stories and memories — their connection to the land, the fragility of memory, and what makes a home. It follows six protagonist's stories, each sharing a different experience and viewpoint into the event and how their lives changed. 

The long process of creating this film began in 2017, when I visited the Exclusion Zone while researching another project. Having explored the theme of home several times before through photography and film, the idea of using VR to bring viewers into a place they could not otherwise access felt like a natural next step. I also wanted to give the viewer the freedom to roam the locations at their own pace, and to choose for themselves how to experience the film's storyline.

I am immensely grateful to everyone who opened their hearts and shared their stories to make this film possible

Asia Digital Art Award Fukuoka. 2024. (JP)
Slamdance. 2024. (US)
Beyond The Frame Film Festival. 2023. (JP)
Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival. 2023. (CZ)
FIVARS Festival of International Virtual and Augmented Reality Stories. 2023. (US)
Deutchses Museum. 2023. (DE)
Helsinki Cine Aasia Festival. 2023. (Fi)
Oodi Central Library. 2023. (FI) 
Kulturhuset Rejsestalden. 2023. (DK)
Nikolaj Kunsthal. 2022 (as a first edition). (DK)
CPH:DOX Festival. 2022 (as a prototype). (DK)

Fukushima – The Home That Once Was has been developed at the CPH:LAB of CPH:DOX – Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival 2022. It also attended Berlinale Talent's Short Form Station. The film has been funded by the support of the Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture AVEK, the Finnish Film Foundation, Det Danske Filminstitut, the Scandinavia-Japan Sasakawa Foundation and the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation, amongst others.