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.

FILM SCREENING IN LONDON

Join us in London to celebrate a decade of Raindance Immersive! The film will be screened at our annual Raindance Immersive Summit on Friday, June 20th at VUE Piccadilly, followed by a Q&A with the Director, Joe Hunting, and Producer, Max Wilson. Max will give an insightful talk about filmmaking in VRChat. Entry is free for festival pass holders.

FILM SCREENING IN VRCHAT

Join us for the virtual film screening followed by a live Q&A with the Director, Producer and cast in VRChat. Tickets are limited due to high demand and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations will open on 2nd June, 2025.

Join us in VRChat across different time zones:

  • Europe:

    • Sunday, June 29th, 11pm-12am BST (UK) / 12am-1am CET / 1am-2am EET

  • North America:

    • Saturday, June 28th, 6pm-7pm ET / 5pm-6pm CT / 4pm-5pm MT / 3pm-4pm PT

  • Asia:

    • Sunday, June 29th, 6am-7am CST / 7am-8am JST/KST

  • Australia:

    • Sunday, June 29th, 8am-9am AEST

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