This is an animated virtual reality film that tells the story of a troubled 14-year-old girl and allows the viewer to embark on a journey through her inner world. The film’s concept creator, director, and producer Tomas Tamošaitis worked on this project for almost 10 years, and the visions he conceived were realized by animators from Europe, Mexico, and Japan.
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68 projects from 26 countries were selected for the “Venice Immersive” program this year, and 30 projects, including “Eyes of Shame,” are participating in the competition program.
“When I saw the letter from Venice on my phone, I opened it very slowly. I was thinking about how I would have to deal with a ‘no’ answer. But the answer was yes. When I wanted to read the invitation again, the phone was already locked, and suddenly I couldn’t remember its code. I tried until the phone notified me that only three attempts were left,” says Tomas Tamošaitis.
The film “Eyes of Shame” invites the viewer to engage with the thoughts of a teenager named Beakė and to reflect on how many forms of shame have haunted us since childhood. The viewer is forced to question where the girl’s imagined fears end and where her experienced reality begins. In this film, the viewer does not remain in one position. Sometimes they embody the main character’s body, see through her eyes, touch with her hands, and sometimes observe everything from the outside.
“I am interested in how strongly shame can affect us without us even noticing. As if we know what shame is. And yet we often do not realize how deeply it is rooted within us. How it shapes our choices and lives, how hard it is to get rid of it. The world of a person living in the shadow of shame is full of eyes watching them. There is nowhere to run from them. You carry the weight of those eyes’ gaze with you all the time,” says director Tomas Tamošaitis.
“I am interested in how strongly shame can affect us without us even noticing.
The virtual reality film “Eyes of Shame” is a co-production project of the Lithuanian studio “Afterimage,” the French studio “Insomniak,” and the Croatian studio “Minya Film and Animation.” The film’s director is Tomas Tamošaitis, the screenwriters are Tomas Tamošaitis and Emmanuel Rouglan, the artist and lead animator is Skirmanta Jakaitė, the 3D character and environment modeler is Arminas Didžiokas, the composer is Jonas Jurkūnas, the sound designer is Vygintas Kisevičius, and the lead programmer is Loïc Allart.
The Lithuanian version of the film was voiced by actors Nelė Savičenko, Matas Sigliukas, Kamilė Petruškevičiūtė. The main role of the girl Beakė was voiced by Upė Tamošauskaitė. The film also has English and French versions.
Brief film description:
On the plate – a boiled egg. Familiar sounds. Ordinary words. A hospital for troubled teenagers. The viewer is immersed in the thoughts of fourteen-year-old Beakė. A nurse tries to make the girl eat the egg, memories of the past begin to burst into reality. Carried by the flow of Beakė’s fragmented thoughts, the viewer travels between the hospital’s daily life and fragments of her childhood.
The Venice Film Festival is organized by the Venice Biennale (“La Biennale di Venezia”). It is the oldest film festival in the world, founded in 1932 by Count Giuseppe Volpi. The event takes place annually at the end of August or beginning of September on the Lido island in Venice, Italy. Films are shown in the historic “Palazzo del Cinema” and other nearby cinemas. The “Venice Immersive” program takes place on the island of Lazzaretto Vecchio, near Lido island. This event is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, currently headed by Alberto Barbera.
This year the festival will take place from September 2 to 12, 2026.
After the premiere at the Venice Film Festival, the film “Eyes of Shame” will also be shown in Lithuania at the animation and video game festival “Blon” and the “Nepatogus Kinas” festival.
The virtual reality animated film “Eyes of Shame” is funded by the Lithuanian Film Centre, the French national fund CNC, the French regional fund “Pictanovo,” and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.
