Press Release Award
shots Awards Asia Pacific 2026 Award Announcement | Kodansha Branded Film “LIGHT HOLE” Wins Gold in Animation (Stop-motion)
We are pleased to announce that Kodansha Branded Film “LIGHT HOLE,” produced with the participation of GEEK PICTURES, has won Gold in the Animation (Stop-motion) category at the international advertising awards shots Awards Asia Pacific 2026.
The shots Awards are organized by shots, a global media platform showcasing outstanding advertising creativity from around the world. One of the awards’ defining features is their focus on the diverse crafts and production techniques that bring creative work to life, including directing, cinematography, editing, animation, VFX, sound, and music.
Gold-winning LIGHT HOLE is a fully stop-motion branded film created using original manuscript pages from more than 100 works published by Kodansha.
Centered on the experience of reading itself—holding a book, turning its pages, and gradually being drawn into the world of a story—the film brings physical books and manuscript pages to life by hand, one sheet at a time. Through meticulously crafted stop-motion animation, sheets of paper transform into cities, characters, and a multitude of different worlds.
At the heart of the project was a deliberate commitment to creating with paper.
At a time when digital tools and generative AI are rapidly reshaping video production, the team wanted to reaffirm the value of creating something by hand. As a publishing company, Kodansha has a unique connection to paper, making it the central medium through which the film’s world was expressed.
Actual manuscript pages from works published by Kodansha were used to create the sets, cities, and characters featured throughout the film. Each piece of paper was folded, shaped, and assembled by hand to build the individual worlds seen on screen.
The commitment to paper extended even to the film’s sound design. Some of the sound effects used in the finished film—including engine sounds—were recorded using cardboard and other paper-based materials.
From art direction and animation to sound, every detail was carefully handcrafted, creating a cohesive world built entirely around the expressive possibilities of paper.
This accumulation of meticulous craftsmanship has now earned LIGHT HOLE Gold in the Animation (Stop-motion) category at shots Awards Asia Pacific 2026.
How can an entire world emerge from a single sheet of paper—and then begin to move?
The behind-the-scenes process, including the painstaking stop-motion production, can also be seen in the making-of film.
We hope you enjoy discovering the craftsmanship behind the project alongside the finished film.
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▍Gold — Animation (Stop-motion)
Client: Kodansha Ltd.
Title: Kodansha Branded Film “LIGHT HOLE”
GEEK PICTURES Staff:
Producer: Satoshi Otake
Production Managers: Nodoka Utsumi, Mai Oshige, Mao Koyanagi
The shots Awards are organized by shots, a global media platform showcasing outstanding advertising creativity from around the world. One of the awards’ defining features is their focus on the diverse crafts and production techniques that bring creative work to life, including directing, cinematography, editing, animation, VFX, sound, and music.
Gold-winning LIGHT HOLE is a fully stop-motion branded film created using original manuscript pages from more than 100 works published by Kodansha.
Centered on the experience of reading itself—holding a book, turning its pages, and gradually being drawn into the world of a story—the film brings physical books and manuscript pages to life by hand, one sheet at a time. Through meticulously crafted stop-motion animation, sheets of paper transform into cities, characters, and a multitude of different worlds.
At the heart of the project was a deliberate commitment to creating with paper.
At a time when digital tools and generative AI are rapidly reshaping video production, the team wanted to reaffirm the value of creating something by hand. As a publishing company, Kodansha has a unique connection to paper, making it the central medium through which the film’s world was expressed.
Actual manuscript pages from works published by Kodansha were used to create the sets, cities, and characters featured throughout the film. Each piece of paper was folded, shaped, and assembled by hand to build the individual worlds seen on screen.
The commitment to paper extended even to the film’s sound design. Some of the sound effects used in the finished film—including engine sounds—were recorded using cardboard and other paper-based materials.
From art direction and animation to sound, every detail was carefully handcrafted, creating a cohesive world built entirely around the expressive possibilities of paper.
This accumulation of meticulous craftsmanship has now earned LIGHT HOLE Gold in the Animation (Stop-motion) category at shots Awards Asia Pacific 2026.
How can an entire world emerge from a single sheet of paper—and then begin to move?
The behind-the-scenes process, including the painstaking stop-motion production, can also be seen in the making-of film.
We hope you enjoy discovering the craftsmanship behind the project alongside the finished film.
┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
▍Gold — Animation (Stop-motion)
Client: Kodansha Ltd.
Title: Kodansha Branded Film “LIGHT HOLE”
GEEK PICTURES Staff:
Producer: Satoshi Otake
Production Managers: Nodoka Utsumi, Mai Oshige, Mao Koyanagi
Press Release Award
shots Awards Asia Pacific 2026 Award Announcement | Kodansha Branded Film “LIGHT HOLE” Wins Gold in Animation (Stop-motion)
We are pleased to announce that Kodansha Branded Film “LIGHT HOLE,” produced with the participation of GEEK PICTURES, has won Gold in the Animation (Stop-motion) category at the international advertising awards shots Awards Asia Pacific 2026.
The shots Awards are organized by shots, a global media platform showcasing outstanding advertising creativity from around the world. One of the awards’ defining features is their focus on the diverse crafts and production techniques that bring creative work to life, including directing, cinematography, editing, animation, VFX, sound, and music.
Gold-winning LIGHT HOLE is a fully stop-motion branded film created using original manuscript pages from more than 100 works published by Kodansha.
Centered on the experience of reading itself—holding a book, turning its pages, and gradually being drawn into the world of a story—the film brings physical books and manuscript pages to life by hand, one sheet at a time. Through meticulously crafted stop-motion animation, sheets of paper transform into cities, characters, and a multitude of different worlds.
At the heart of the project was a deliberate commitment to creating with paper.
At a time when digital tools and generative AI are rapidly reshaping video production, the team wanted to reaffirm the value of creating something by hand. As a publishing company, Kodansha has a unique connection to paper, making it the central medium through which the film’s world was expressed.
Actual manuscript pages from works published by Kodansha were used to create the sets, cities, and characters featured throughout the film. Each piece of paper was folded, shaped, and assembled by hand to build the individual worlds seen on screen.
The commitment to paper extended even to the film’s sound design. Some of the sound effects used in the finished film—including engine sounds—were recorded using cardboard and other paper-based materials.
From art direction and animation to sound, every detail was carefully handcrafted, creating a cohesive world built entirely around the expressive possibilities of paper.
This accumulation of meticulous craftsmanship has now earned LIGHT HOLE Gold in the Animation (Stop-motion) category at shots Awards Asia Pacific 2026.
How can an entire world emerge from a single sheet of paper—and then begin to move?
The behind-the-scenes process, including the painstaking stop-motion production, can also be seen in the making-of film.
We hope you enjoy discovering the craftsmanship behind the project alongside the finished film.
┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
▍Gold — Animation (Stop-motion)
Client: Kodansha Ltd.
Title: Kodansha Branded Film “LIGHT HOLE”
GEEK PICTURES Staff:
Producer: Satoshi Otake
Production Managers: Nodoka Utsumi, Mai Oshige, Mao Koyanagi
The shots Awards are organized by shots, a global media platform showcasing outstanding advertising creativity from around the world. One of the awards’ defining features is their focus on the diverse crafts and production techniques that bring creative work to life, including directing, cinematography, editing, animation, VFX, sound, and music.
Gold-winning LIGHT HOLE is a fully stop-motion branded film created using original manuscript pages from more than 100 works published by Kodansha.
Centered on the experience of reading itself—holding a book, turning its pages, and gradually being drawn into the world of a story—the film brings physical books and manuscript pages to life by hand, one sheet at a time. Through meticulously crafted stop-motion animation, sheets of paper transform into cities, characters, and a multitude of different worlds.
At the heart of the project was a deliberate commitment to creating with paper.
At a time when digital tools and generative AI are rapidly reshaping video production, the team wanted to reaffirm the value of creating something by hand. As a publishing company, Kodansha has a unique connection to paper, making it the central medium through which the film’s world was expressed.
Actual manuscript pages from works published by Kodansha were used to create the sets, cities, and characters featured throughout the film. Each piece of paper was folded, shaped, and assembled by hand to build the individual worlds seen on screen.
The commitment to paper extended even to the film’s sound design. Some of the sound effects used in the finished film—including engine sounds—were recorded using cardboard and other paper-based materials.
From art direction and animation to sound, every detail was carefully handcrafted, creating a cohesive world built entirely around the expressive possibilities of paper.
This accumulation of meticulous craftsmanship has now earned LIGHT HOLE Gold in the Animation (Stop-motion) category at shots Awards Asia Pacific 2026.
How can an entire world emerge from a single sheet of paper—and then begin to move?
The behind-the-scenes process, including the painstaking stop-motion production, can also be seen in the making-of film.
We hope you enjoy discovering the craftsmanship behind the project alongside the finished film.
┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
▍Gold — Animation (Stop-motion)
Client: Kodansha Ltd.
Title: Kodansha Branded Film “LIGHT HOLE”
GEEK PICTURES Staff:
Producer: Satoshi Otake
Production Managers: Nodoka Utsumi, Mai Oshige, Mao Koyanagi
