Latest news with #PiotrWiniewicz
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival: Here's why AI filmmaking is stealing the spotlight
When AI Writes the Script - The Big Debate at Bucheon The 29th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) is making waves, and not just for its wild genre films. This year, the hottest topic is artificial intelligence. From international AI film competitions to hands-on workshops and a major conference, BIFAN is going all-in on exploring what happens when machines start making movies. The opening film, ' Finding Him ,' directed by Piotr Winiewicz, is a total game-changer. The script? Written by an AI that binge-watched every Werner Herzog film ever made. Imagine an AI trying to capture the quirky, philosophical style of a legendary director - and then humans actually filming it, word for word, with no edits. That's the kind of experiment that makes you wonder: are we witnessing the birth of a new kind of cinema, or just a high-tech gimmick? The Human Touch vs. Machine Logic by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Show Off Your Talent: Enter the Ultimate Creator Contest! Tocsin Media & Marketing LLC Undo Winiewicz didn't set out to copy Herzog or poke fun at him. Instead, he wanted to see what happens when you let AI loose on the creative process. The result? A story about a mysterious death in a fictional German city, narrated in a documentary style that feels eerily Herzog-like. But here's the twist: the AI's original title was 'A Surprisingly Ordinary Dreaming Hero.' Not exactly mind-blowing, right? This is where things get real for young creators. We expect AI to show us wild, impossible worlds, but sometimes it just spits out something... ordinary. It's a reminder that, for now, AI can remix what it's learned, but it can't quite leap into the unknown the way a human can. The film doesn't just show off tech - it asks us to question what's real, what's fake, and how much we trust the stories we're told, especially in a world flooded with social media and deepfakes.
Korea Herald
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
'We're seeing AI-enhanced workflows, not replacement': Storytek CEO Sten-Kristian Saluveer
AI takes center stage as Bucheon Film Festival explores cinema's future BUCHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- The 29th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival opened Thursday with a bold statement on cinema's future, selecting as its opening film "About a Hero" -- a hybrid documentary by Piotr Winiewicz featuring an AI-generated screenplay trained on Werner Herzog's complete filmography. The festival's commitment to exploring artificial intelligence runs deep, with 11 AI films among its 217-title program and a three-day conference dedicated to examining how the technology is reshaping creative processes in cinema. Sunday marked the first day of the festival's AI conference at Bucheon Art Center, bringing together industry pioneers, technologists and policymakers to examine practical applications and future implications of AI-driven production. The sessions revealed both the technology's rapid development and the film industry's varied responses to its integration. Sunday's conference began with presentations from leading Korean producers working with AI technology. Roy Oh, who runs the YouTube channel Oddy Studio, premiered his short film "Color My Garden," a biographical piece about Frida Kahlo told from the artist's perspective. The film, created using tools like Midjourney and Runway, showcased the creator's signature style of blending classical art with contemporary settings. While the film at times exhibits the uncanny sleekness and occasional awkwardness of AI-generated content -- repetitive compositions, abrupt cuts between scenes -- moments of genuine visual innovation were palpable, particularly in sequences showing flowers blooming from Kahlo's body. "It's not just what AI makes, it's how we make AI tell your story," Oh said, describing his week-long production process that treats AI collaboration like "writing a book in real time." Lee Sang-wook of MBC C&I Content Lab followed with a demonstration of AI's integration into traditional television production, showing how his team enhanced space scenes in a TV show by combining AI-generated visuals with live actors. Viewers who watched the show responded positively to the hybrid approach. "Starting from prompts, we can now visualize concepts that would have cost millions," Lee said. His lab, launched in 2024, runs training workshops for aspiring creators and has produced several award-winning AI films, including "Mateo," which won the grand prize at Korea's first AI International Film Festival. The afternoon panel discussion, originally intended to focus on AI, quickly pivoted to broader industry concerns about Korea's declining theater attendance and competition from streaming platforms. Featuring festival director Shin Chul, French National Cinema Center President Gaetan Bruel and producer Lee Dong-ha, the conversation centered on Korea's struggling film industry and potential lessons from France's protective measures. Bruel outlined the French government's comprehensive support system, including mandatory "holdback" periods that reserve theatrical releases for four months before they are available for streaming. In Korea, films often appear on platforms within weeks of theatrical release. "In France, we had 181 million tickets sold last year — only a 10 percent decrease from pre-pandemic levels," Bruel noted, comparing it to Korea's nearly 50 percent drop. He emphasized that, in France, people with the most streaming subscriptions are often the most avid moviegoers. The French model mandates streaming platforms reinvest part of their revenue into local content -- a system that generated €900 million for 180 projects by 140 independent production companies. When asked about AI's impact on cinema's future, Bruel expressed measured skepticism. "Cinema is about emotions, about the infinite complexity of dialogue," he said. "While AI brings new possibilities, I have more reasons to be concerned than enthusiastic. The risk is reducing the extent of creativity." The day's most practical analysis came from Sten-Kristian Saluveer, CEO of Storytek and Strategic Advisor for Cannes NEXT, who delivered a recorded lecture mapping AI's integration across global film production. His presentation showcased how major festivals beyond BIFAN have adapted, with Rotterdam and Tribeca now accepting AI films in their official competitions. Saluveer highlighted the evolution from "AI artists" to "AI studio directors" -- creatives who combine traditional filmmaking knowledge with technical expertise. Major studios now use AI for pre-visualization, with one TV series generating 24 VFX shots in a single day versus weeks it would take using conventional methods. "We're seeing AI-enhanced workflows where the technology supports rather than replaces traditional filmmaking," Saluveer explained. The applications extend beyond visual effects into budgeting, script development and regulatory compliance -- what he termed a comprehensive "optimization paradigm." Genre filmmaking would particularly benefit from this trend, with tools like Veo helping independent horror directors create proof-of-concept materials previously requiring studio backing. Looking ahead, Saluveer predicted the rise of AI-transparent filmmaking within a few years, in which the technology becomes as ubiquitous and routine as digital cameras. "Instead of thinking narrowly about AI producing visual content, it's becoming a huge optimizer," he said, emphasizing that success requires investing in talent development over the acquisition of tools. "Great filmmakers powered with AI will make great AI films. Underskilled filmmakers will ultimately make bad films."
Euronews
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival 2025 to explore AI and recent Greek history
The 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival (TiDF) is gearing up for an action-packed 10-day event, running from 6-16 March 2025. This year's festival will screen 261 documentaries, featuring 72 world premieres. 'The Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival takes place this year in a critical moment for our broader neighbourhood, Europe, but also for the whole world,' the Festival's team, including General Director Elise Jalladeau, said in a statement. According to the organisers, the films screened 'portray and unveil what we experience in our precarious times' and, crucially, 'urge us to take a good hard look at the raw reality and reappraise the preciousness of cinema, while reminding us that truth can never be relevant or dubious'. Opening the festival on 6 March is About a Hero (2024) by Piotr Winiewicz, a fascinating film based on a script written by an AI trained on the works of legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog. This unique film will surely set the tone for a festival that promises to challenge perceptions and push creative boundaries. Closing the event will be Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (2025), a documentary directed by Shoshannah Stern about the first deaf recipient of an Academy Award for acting, Marlee Matlin. A highlight of the festival will be the tribute to Artificial Intelligence, titled AI: An Inevitable Intelligence – delving into the shifting boundaries between the man-made and the digital world, inviting viewers to reflect on AI's growing presence in our daily lives. This exciting exploration includes a selection of thought-provoking documentaries and an intriguing visual installation called 'LAUREN: Anyone Home?' by artist Lauren Lee McCarthy. Additionally, there will be a special AI-themed masterclass for filmmakers and – in the spirit of experimentation – the Festival's magazine, First Shot, will be co-created this year with the help of AI. The festival will also feature a special tribute titled "Geography of the Gaze: Off-Plan Greece (1950-2000)'. This collection of 19 documentary films offers a unique exploration of Greece's social, political, and cultural life in the latter half of the 20th century. Highlighting rare and lesser-known works, the tribute includes the recently rediscovered Kastoria (1969) by Takis Kanellopoulos, along with Gazaros Serron (1974) and Prespes (1966) by Takis Hatzopoulos. Previous tributes include LGBTQI+ documentary cinema and films focusing on Thessaloniki's Jewish community. This year's festival will also shine a spotlight on two prominent filmmakers, Nicolas Philibert and Lauren Greenfield. Philibert, known for his usually moving documentaries, will also host a masterclass, while Greenfield will present her impactful films, which critique the toxic side of hyperconsumerism. In addition to the tributes, the festival will feature a range of competition sections, including the International Competition, Newcomers Competition, and Film Forward, which showcases experimental works. The festival will also highlight Greek documentaries, with 71 films on offer overall. A particularly anticipated screening will be premiere of Mysterious Deaths in Ancient Greece: Olympias. Thirst for Power (2025), a chilling investigation into the deaths of ancient Greek figures. If you're unable to attend in person, make some popcorn and stream some cinematic gems on the festival's digital platform.
