“If you believe in someone and keep waiting, it means that you have a pure heart to really care”: Yusuke Hirota on Chimney Town – Frozen in Time at Berlin Film Festival 2026

Yusuke Hirota, renowned for his extensive background in computer graphics and CGI direction, presented the second chapter of his animated work, Chimney Town: Frozen in Time, at the Berlin Film Festival 2026. Hirota articulated the core message of his film, stating, “If you believe in someone and keep waiting for that person, it means that you have a pure heart to really care for someone.” He elaborated on the feature’s visually stunning and contrasting worlds: the industrial Chimney Town and the imaginative Millennium Fortress, which he revealed are born from protagonist Lubichi’s inner world. Hirota also detailed his collaboration with Hiro Nishino in crafting unique characters like Gas, a symbolic goat representing waiting, and Nagi, a plant, forming a distinctive love story that transcends traditional boundaries.