2025｜TAIWAN｜ENVIRONMENT、FANTASY
vr 6DOF｜17 min
Synopsis
“Sosowon: The Season of the Flying Fish” is a VR tale set on Lanyu, an island in southeastern Taiwan, featuring a young boy, Masarey, and his grandfather, Syapen. Audiences journey alongside Sosowon, a flying fish who escapes a fisherman’s net to save his family. Through trials, remorse, and courage, Sosowon retraces his path in a moving tale of love and sacrifice. Blending magical realism with Tao (Yami) tribal life, the experience invites reflection on nature, intergenerational bonds, and the fragile balance between humans and the natural world.
Director Nina Barbier
Nina Barbier, author and director for TV and immersive works, graduated from Columbia Film School. After 15 years with FR and international channels, she now focuses on Indigenous and environmental topics. Sosowon is her second VR after The Starry Sand Beach, awarded at TIFF and shown at Venice.
Fieldwork in Lanyu
Rooted in the real landscapes and cultural context of Lanyu, this work takes the flying fish as its protagonist, conveying the spiritual significance it holds for Tao (Yami) people. Through this story, audiences are invited into the daily life and beliefs of Lanyu, gaining deeper insight into the community’s wisdom of living in harmony with nature.
Volumetric Capture
Actors from Lanyu entered the 4DViews studio to capture their movements and appearances in three-dimensional space, including makeup, costumes, and accessories, which were digitally recorded with precision. These authentic performance materials were then seamlessly integrated into animated scenes, ultimately creating a VR experience that combines realism with immersion.
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Credit
WRITTEN ＆ DIRECTED by: Nina Barbier
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Estela Valdivieso Chen
PRODUCER: Jamie Lin
CO-PRODUCER: Ami Wu
STARRING: Syaman A Lisan, Si Haliloya, Siapen Ngeskes
PRESENTED by: Serendipity Films Ltd., Moonshine Animation
SUPPORTED by: Ministry of Culture, Taiwan
INTERNATIONAL SALES: Young Films International
▍PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Jamie LIN
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Gina LEE, Yu Hsuan LIN, Lily LING
▍DIRECTOR ASSOCIATES
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Rebecca TSAI
CULTURAL CONSULTANT: Sipnadan CHIANG
▍ON-SET SOUND DEPT.
PRODUCTION SOUND MIXER: Yu Chih LI
▍ON-SET ART DEPT.
PROP MASTER: Ru CHANG
PROP ASSISTANT: Ruyi CHEN, Ya Chien WU
▍ON-SET WADROBE & MAKE UP DEPT.
COSTUME DESIGNER: Ya Chen LAI
MAKEUP ARTIST: Ya Chen LAI
▍SOUND DESIGN & VR MIX
SOUND SUPERVISOR: Jin Yao LIN
SOUND DESIGNER：Chieh Wen Meng, Tze Wei Saw
COMPOSER：Chieh Wen Meng
▍RECORDING STUDIO
RECORDING STUDIO: Eye Media Studio
ADR RECORDIST: ShaoLun LU, Robby LO
VOICE ACTING: Chan Wen CHIU, Brian FODEN, Danny HE, Dylan CHAO, Vagyatan, Stephanie BUCKLEY
▍VR PRODUCTION
VR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Ami WU
PROJECT MANAGERr: Orange Weng
PROJECT EXECUTIVE: Yu Yu Lee
PROJECT ASSISTANT: Evan HSIEH
ART DIRECTOR: Dean Chang
ART DESIGNER: Brian Tsai, Tomo Lin
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: James Chuang
LEAD PROGRAMMER: William Wu
SCENE ARTIST DIRECTOR: ShuLing WEN
SCENE ARTIST: JiaFu HUNG, WeiJing CHEN
3D MODEL ARTIST: Tomo LIN, Bonny SHU
RIGGER: JiaYuan JIANG
ANIMATION ARTIST: Brian TSAI
PROJECT COORDINATOR: SiYa Kuo
▍2D ARTIST
CONCEPT DESIGNER: Freda LIN
CHARACTER DESIGNER: FuYin LAI
▍4DVIEWS
4DVIEWS VOLUMETRIC CAPTURE: IP Lab STUDIO
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Kun Hsien LU
PROJECT MANAGER: Danieo CHEN, Mei Ying SUNG
ADMINISTRATOR: Wen Ming SUNG
ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN: Tsai Ching KUO, Bo Ruei CHEN, I Cheng CHIEN
▍TRADITIONAL TAO MUSIC
TRADITIONAL TAO MUSIC PERFORMER: Syaman a lisan
▍STILLS
STILLS PHOTOGRAPHER: Kuo Hao WANG