interactive VR documentary, 2021
In the VR documentary experience KUSUNDA, you meet Hema as she reminds her grandfather of his forgotten mother tongue. You navigate through the narrative by speaking words in the endangered indigenous language, and join the fight against its extinction.
The experience combines volumetric video capture of Hema and Lil Bahadur with a photogrammetized surrounding to create a highly realistic and immersive environment. Storyboards representing the thoughts and memories of both protaginist are stylised 3D animations.
It aims to have a social impact in increasing awareness and understanding of indigenous languages and culture an establishing an archive of the language and culture for the Kusunda community. The ultimate goals is to creae a pilot that can be replicated for other endagered languages and cultures worldwide.
KUSUNDA is a NowHere Media production in collaboration with Gyani Maiya Kusunda, Hema Kusunda and Lil Bahadur Kusunda in co-production with INVR.SPACE, FASAD and Poké Poké Creative supported by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, the Swedish Film Institute, Kaleidoscope, Vulcan Productions and Viveport.
Directors and producers: Felix Gaedtke, Gayatri Parameswaran
Executive Producer: René Pinnell
Co-producers (Executive Producer INVR): Sönke Kirchhof,
VR Producer and supervisor: Philipp Wenning
Volumetric video post-production: INVR.SPACE
Post-production: Jessica Zippel
Depth artist: Sara Montenegro
Co-producers (FASAD): Emma Creed, Aliki Tsakoumi
Co-producers (Poke Poke): Kuan-Yuan Lai
Associate Producer: Mia von Kolpakow
Art Director, Design & Animation: Moritz Mayerhofer
Technical Director & Animation Assistant: Henning Schild
Lead Developer: Tobias Wehrum
Editor: Mia von Kolpakow
Additional Consultant and Colourist: Evgeny Kalachikhin