Focus on Artificial Intelligence

The short film world often plays a pioneering role in the application of new technological developments. Kortfilmfestival Leuven curated a unique programme of films made at the intersection between cinema and Artificial Intelligence (AI): films about the impact of AI or, to take it even further: films that are shaped, written, or created by AI. Take a look at the amazing crossovers between Artificial Intelligence and human artistry.

Programme

1h13 — Screenings: Sat. 3/12 (19h30), Tue. 6/12 (15h15), Fri. 9/12 (10h30), Sat. 10/12 (20h30) in Cinema ZED Vesalius

Jésus 2020 (Jesus 2020)

Aude Thuries • France • 2020 • 24 min. With little enthusiasm, Claire takes on a new project for the advertising agency she works for. She has to modernise the communications of a small parish. The campaign she launches on social media becomes an unexpected success. None other than Jesus Christ responds via a Twitter account.

Production: Arthur Goisset, Bastien Daret, Robin Robles • Cast: Alice de Lencquesaing, Bastien Bouillon, Franc Bruneau, Frédéric Radepont, Victoria Erulin • Contact: audrey@eroin.fr

Rachels Don't Run

Joanny Causse • France, United States • 2021 • 14 min. Lonely Leah works in customer support at an AI-companionship service, where she has to monitor calls. One night, she impersonates an artificial dream girl to chat with the regular caller, for whom she has developed feelings.

DOP: Jacob Rosen • Script: Steph Kwiatkowski • Cast: Sera Barbieri • Contact: prod@nosignalfound.com

Sunspring

Oscar Sharp • United States • 2016 • 9 min. A distant future with mass unemployment, a man pulling a book from a shelf and the title Sunspring. These three prompts lead to a particularly strange yet engaging story, written entirely by AI.

Production: Allison Friedman, Andrew Kortschak, Andrew Swett, End Cue Productions • Cast: Elisabeth Gray, Humphrey Ker, Thomas Middleditch

Hysteresis

Robert Seidel • Germany • 2021 • 5 min. AI blends drawings with the movements of a dancer to create a stream of pulsating images, baroque textures and patterns, which are then deliberately interrupted by the director. An artistic ode to breaking pattern recognition and the results of machine learning.

Production: Robert Seidel • Contact: info@robertseidel.com

It's No Game

Oscar Sharp • United States • 2017 • 7 min. Two representatives of the screenwriters' guild are told by their film studio that they are no longer needed, because AI is now perfectly capable of writing film scripts. Proof? This short film, of which the script actually was entirely written by AI.

Production: Allison Friedman • Cast: David Hasselhoff • Contact: allison.a.friedman@gmail.com

Backflip

NIkita Diakur • Germany • 2022 • 12 min. Attempting a backflip is not safe. You can break your neck, or land on your head, or land badly on your wrists. None of that is nice, so the director's avatar does the trick. It practices on a 6-core processor with the help of Machine Learning.

Production: Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, NIkita Diakur, Pierre Baussaron • Contact: festival@miyu.fr