Fukushima – The Home That Once Was

Fukushima – The Home That Once Was (2023) is virtual reality documentary, where you can visit the abandoned villages and towns inside the Exclusion Zone of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. The viewer can meet the former residents, who share their stories and memories about the their connection to the land, the fragility of memories, as well as what makes an home. The viewer can move freely around using their VR-headset.

The long process to create this film started already in 2017, when I visited the Exclusion Zone for research of another film. I had been addressing the topic of home several times before using photography and film. The thought of using VR to bring the viewer into an area they would be otherwise able to access, sparked the film's idea. I also wanted to give the viewer a possibility to freely roam the film and its locations, as well as decide for themselves how they would like to experince the film's storyline.

I'm immensely thankful for all those who open up their hearts and experiences 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 Augumented Reality Stories. 2023. (US)
Deutchses Museum. 2023. (GR)
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 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..