THE REALITY OF HOPE

A Friendship Beyond Worlds

Chronicling a remarkable story of friendship across realities, this documentary short was filmed inside VRChat and physically in Sweden. It portrays VR creator Hiyu facing kidney failure, and his online friend Photographotter's selfless journey from New York City to Stockholm to become his live donor. Through poetic real-time VR montages and intimate interviews, rooted in the expressive VR furry community, the film reveals the profound sincerity of kindness between friends, a bond that exists as powerfully online as it does in the physical world.

Their story unfolds within the vibrant backdrop of the VR furry fandom, notably through their central role in 'Furality,' the world's largest online furry convention. This film offers an informative and intimate portrayal of this often-misunderstood subculture, while simultaneously raising crucial awareness about kidney failure in young people and modern self-dialysis treatments.

Dive deeper with Voices of VR: We invite you to listen to Kent Bye's in-depth conversation with the Director and Producer on his acclaimed podcast, available here.

CREDITS

Director: Joe Hunting

Producers: Max Willson and Joe Hunting

Executive Producers: Justin Lacob and Bryn Mooser

Technical Artist: Rob Ouellette

2D Animator: Tia Johnson

3D Artists: Rob Ouellette, Morgan Furtado and Tia Johnson

Production Company: Painted Clouds

Co-Production with: MaxFilms

Distribution: Documentary+

Documentary short filmed in VRChat | Runtime: 30 mins | Screenings in London and in VRChat | Out of Competition