AI-generated Iran protest film selected for Tribeca Festival
Director Ash Koosha’s 75-minute drama, produced in London for under 2,000 euros, bypasses safety concerns to depict anti-government protests, reigniting debate on AI in cinema.
Dreams of Violets, a 75-minute drama depicting Iran’s anti-government protest movement, is set to premiere at New York’s Tribeca Festival next week. The film is the first fully AI-generated feature to be selected by a major international film festival, marking a significant shift in how cinematic narratives are produced and consumed.
Created by Iranian-British director Ash Koosha from his home in London, the production took three months to complete and cost less than 2,000 euros. The project utilises artificial intelligence to bypass the safety concerns and exile restrictions that prevented Koosha from filming conventionally inside Iran.
Koosha stated that the film could not have been made through traditional means due to his status in exile and the dangers associated with documenting the crackdown on protesters. The narrative is constructed from journalistic reports, photographs, and eyewitness accounts, exploring themes of memory, censorship, and resistance without the use of actors, cameras, sets, or a physical film crew.
As Tribeca becomes the first major festival to embrace a fully AI-generated feature, the selection has reignited a fierce debate within the industry. Questions remain regarding whether artificial intelligence can effectively tell deeply human stories and whether the technology serves to democratise filmmaking or threatens the future of the sector.
The film’s emergence coincides with ongoing crackdowns on anti-government protests in Iran, underscoring the urgent context of Koosha’s work. While the technical specifications of the AI tools used are not detailed, the project highlights the growing intersection of geopolitical conflict, digital technology, and artistic expression.
