Supersub LLC (Japan) and Toonz Media Group (India) have announced an animated feature documentary, The Taste of Water, which explores the history, culture, and future of Japanese sake through a unique combination of live-action filmmaking, animation, and emerging visual technologies.
Directed by Riki Ohkanda, the documentary is currently in production and is being presented at Annecy. The project’s journey has been closely intertwined with the festival. Supersub LLC first gained recognition at Annecy when its previous film, Who Said Death Is Beautiful?, was officially selected for Annecy 2024. Building on that momentum, The Taste of Water was showcased at Mifa 2025 as part of the Tokyo metropolitan government’s Annecy exhibition programme.
The announcement of Toonz Media Group as a co-production partner marks a significant new chapter in the film’s evolution, strengthening its international ambitions and expanding its global reach.
Synopsis:
The Taste of Water is an emotional road movie that follows a journey into the heart of Japan’s sake culture. Structured across five chapters, The Basics of Sake, The History of Sake, Sake and Culture, The Crisis of Sake, and The Future of Sake, the film explores not only the craftsmanship behind Japan’s iconic beverage but also its profound cultural, historical, social, and emotional significance.
A key innovation behind the project is its production pipeline. Live-action footage shot across Japan will be transformed into anime-influenced animated visuals through a workflow combining AI-assisted rotoscoping and 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) technologies developed by Supersub LLC. This approach creates a distinctive visual language that blends the authenticity of documentary filmmaking with the expressive possibilities of animation.
“The story of sake is a story that engages all five senses,” said executive producer Ryo Nakajima. “Through this unique combination of live action, animation, and AI-assisted visual transformation, we can bring audiences closer to experiences that cannot be expressed through traditional filmmaking alone.”
Toonz Media Group Viswanath Rao added, “Artificial intelligence is one of the most discussed technologies in the creative industry today, yet there are few examples of its thoughtful application in storytelling. With The Taste of Water, we are demonstrating how AI can work alongside artists and filmmakers to create new forms of expression. The project combines technology, creativity, and cultural storytelling in a way that expands the possibilities of documentary filmmaking while preserving the human heart of the narrative.”
“Animated feature documentaries are one of the most exciting and underserved spaces in the international market right now. With The Taste of Water, we believe we have a film that can travel across festivals, platforms, and territories. We’re here at Annecy to find the right partners to take it there together,” Toonz Media Group VP of feature films Gulshan David.
The film is targeting major international documentary and animation festivals in 2027, with Berlin, Seattle, and San Sebastián among the key circuits under consideration.
