Deathstar
2025 · 12m · UK
Directed by Duncan Reekie
Genres: essay film, experimental, satire
Tones: absurdist, provocative, surreal
An AI-generated parody charting the rise of American director George Lucas from idealistic 'padawan' to the dark side of the industrial-military entertainment complex. A satirical career portrait made, per its own admission, 'using AI by an ironic human being.'
Picked by Felix
The scouts
A veteran underground agitator who co-wrote the book on subversive cinema calling a new film Deathstar is exactly the kind of provocation I'm here for.
Duncan Reekie of London's Exploding Cinema collective making AI-generated parody — the underground filmmaker's 30+ years of anti-institutional practice complicate the AI move, which is the interesting tension. Worth watching for the friction, not the content.
An AI-generated parody of George Lucas's career by an Exploding Cinema founder — that's a tension between veteran underground filmmaker and the most disposable production tool of 2026. Interesting collision but I'm wary without seeing whether it transcends the gimmick.