NEXT month’s Tribeca Festival will feature a film that cost just $2,000 and could redefine cinema. Dreams of Violets, created by AI with the help of Google, Kling AI and Anthropic, tells the harrowing story of Iranian government brutality against civilians.

The 75-minute drama was crafted by Ash and Pooya Koosha, two brothers who fled Iran in 2009. Their company, Fountain 0, made it clear that this film is a milestone. While a more expensive AI-generated flick, Hell Grind, screened at Cannes last year, it did so as part of a side event. This time, Dreams of Violets will be showcased in the main program.

‘We fully understand the very genuine sensitivities of those individuals working in the movie industry and like them we are worried about the unknown implications for the livelihoods of many,’ say the Kooshas. ‘But the reality is that this film never would have been made without AI’s capabilities.’

In a year where Hollywood increasingly turns to AI, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have both embraced the technology with gusto, while OpenAI’s Sora tool has tried to find new life. The festival premiere on June 10th marks an intersection of power and possibility as we grapple with what it means for our industry.