AI didn’t ruin these films. It made them possible. - The Japan Times

AI-generated films inspire plenty of skepticism. But what happens when the technology gives more artists a chance to create?

Runway co-founder and co-CEO Cristobal Valenzuela takes the stage at the company's fourth annual AI Festival. | COURTESY OF RUNWAY Aug 20, 2026 I went into an AI film festival in Tokyo last month expecting slop, and left surprised by how much humanity emanated from the screen. My favorite was an 11-minute short from the point of view of a child with a camcorder spending a magical summer with his grandparents. He records his cereal, mermaid sightings and fleeting, sun-drenched images of youth. The winner was an animated story about a man in Paris with a facial disfigurement. He hides…

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• Hardeep Gambhir

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