Gundam: Silver Phantom Nominated for 81st Venice International Film Festival

The immersive VR movie Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom has been nominated for the Extended Reality (XR) category competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival. This marks the first time a Gundam series work has been nominated for an international film festival.

The Venice International Film Festival, held annually in Venice, Italy, is one of the world’s three major film festivals, alongside the Cannes Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival. This year’s XR section features immersive media projects that utilize not only virtual reality (VR) technology but also various creative XR expression methods, with awards given to selected projects. The 81st Venice International Film Festival will be held from 28 August to 7 September 2024.

Touted as the first feature-length VR anime film, Silver Phantom is part of the Gundam franchise’s 45th anniversary and will release Fall 2024 on Meta Quest. The movie’s runtime is 90 minutes and will be available in Japanese and English dubbing.

STORY

U.C. 0096―
The unofficial mercenary organization Argent Keil, which is neither part of the Federation nor Zeon, had taken on the mission to assassinate Federation official Azami Meginne. Although it was a request from the Federation, who couldn’t publicly disclose Azami’s collusion with Zeon, it was none other than the Federation’s Jegan team that attacked their fleet just before their sortie. Amidst this increasingly chaotic situation, the silver Gundam secretly owned by Argent Keil is unleashed into space.

Protagonist. A pilot belonging to the mercenary organization Argent Keil. Once a soldier of the Federation, they were rescued by Babia after being stranded in combat and decided to join as a fellow mercenary. They do not possess outstanding abilities as a pilot and feel pressured by being given a special MS, a Gundam.

Babia Lena. A pilot of Argent Keil. 25 years old. A war orphan, she was raised as a cheerful person by her foster mother, Mabel. She sees the protagonist she rescued by chance as reminiscent of her former colleague, Fikzi Fix. She pilots the uniquely modified MS, Jagd Weise.

Mabel Lena. A veteran pilot of Argent Keil. 41 years old. She is a reliable, sisterly figure and also handles mission operations. She cares for her adopted daughter Babia more than anyone else. She pilots a uniquely modified Re-GZ.

DZ-001 Delta Zayin. A modified version of the Delta Plus provided to Argent Keil by Anaheim Electronics. Due to the clandestine nature of the agreement, non-standard parts are used for the exterior. The head is borrowed from a prototype of a separate project, the armor design is based on data from a phantom unit that was frozen at the design stage, and a custom shield has been newly prepared. It is painted silver, symbolizing Argent Keil.

JW-001 Jagd Weise. A Jagd Doga intended as spare parts for the Neo Zeon remnants that Argent Keil acquired and uniquely modified. All original Psycommu-related equipment has been omitted. In addition to enhanced sensors, the shoulder shield has been renewed, and the thrust capacity has increased. It is equipped with a custom beam shot launcher.

RZ-002 Re-GZ. One of several Re-GZ units manufactured for technical verification after the Second Neo Zeon War, acquired and uniquely modified by Argent Keil. Adjustments have been made to specialize exclusively in MS mode, without relying on the optional BWS (Back Weapon System) equipment, and the backpack has been reinforced.

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　　　没入体験型VR映画
『機動戦士ガンダム：銀灰の幻影』
　　　　　　予告映像
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あなたも“主人公”として物語に参加し
等身大の宇宙世紀を体感しよう——。

▼公式WEBhttps://t.co/zfsqH8Sg9c #銀灰の幻影 #VR映画 #ガンダム pic.twitter.com/GHd9pqV1qJ
— 機動戦士ガンダム：銀灰の幻影 (@g_silverphantom) July 5, 2024

Silver Phantom was formally announced in November 2023 at Anime NYC as a co-production between Bandai Namco Filmworks and French virtual reality (VR) production company Atlas V for Meta Quest.