The brief was to create something abstract rather than literal — a film that conveyed the emotional world of a young Jewish refugee boy fleeing Nazi Germany, experienced from his perspective as the train moved through the landscape outside the windows.
The room itself is set-designed to feel like the interior of a train carriage, with two screens either side acting as windows to the outside world. The film needed to work across all four screens simultaneously, so the sense of journey and movement had to feel continuous and immersive throughout the space.
The animation starts in a dark and uncertain place, reflecting the fear and disorientation of the boy's situation, before gradually shifting in mood, ending with the appearance of water and a quiet sense of hope for what might lie ahead. Keeping that emotional arc feeling honest without being heavy-handed was the core challenge, and something I worked through carefully with creative director Richard Playford.