Bali doesn't offer many venues to showcase evening attire. That's why the organizers of the AI Film Awards 2025, held this weekend at Kura-Kura on Serangan, knew exactly how to attract even those far removed from the film industry to their festival.
Spotlights, photographers, a red carpet. Only the actors parading on it were missing. But their arrival wasn't planned. After all, the films that participated and were nominated for awards were created by a neural network.
The first day of the film festival began, as expected, with screenings. 300 films from 70 countries. These aren't the two-hour films with complex plots we're used to. Rather, short films with a focus on visuals. The sheer notion that the imagery on screen was created without actors, cameramen, stuntmen, lighting technicians, makeup artists, and hundreds of other people is impressive.
Take, for example, the film about Formula 1. The track, a roaring car, fans in the stands frozen in anticipation, the tense face of the racer. Believing all this was created by a person with a computer (well, okay, a team of people with computers) without leaving the office is impossible!
And this film gave viewers chills. AI fantasies on the potential consequences of countless wars enveloping the planet. Every scene is captivating. Just a year ago, we laughed at the fact that a neural network couldn't draw human hands...
But where will AI development in the film industry lead? What will happen to actors and the thousands of others involved in filmmaking today? These are the main topics of discussion following the screenings.
Among those present are people directly involved with AI films (who, by the way, refer to themselves not as directors but as creators) and those who only use neural networks like GPT chat.
Roman Nebo, the winner in the 'Long Film' category (films of 20-30 minutes) states that it currently takes 2-3 days to create such a film. Whereas six months ago, it took a month!
Roman Nebo's film is a historical piece about the founder of a famous tobacco dynasty in Indonesia. It's called ‘Wish Me Luck.’ Now he and his team are preparing a project for Netflix. And this is a matter of months, not years, says the AI-film creator.
At the AI Film Awards 2025, awards are given in 7 categories: music project, animation, short and long format, documentary. Before announcing the winner, the prize-winning films are shown again to the audience who came only for the awards ceremony.
The festival concluded, as expected, with a party.
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