Sigma_001
2023 · 16m · USA
Directed by Quinn Halleck
Tones: contemplative, provocative, tense
An engineer at a major tech company sneaks a skeptical journalist inside the building to interview what he believes is the first sentient AI. Told as a three-part trilogy, the film was made by integrating generative AI tools (Midjourney, Runway, ElevenLabs, DeepFaceLabs, ChatGPT) into every stage of the pipeline.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
Halleck doesn't just make a film about AI sentience—he weaponizes the tools themselves to ask whether the medium is the message, and the answer is deliciously unsettling; most scouts will call it a gimmick, which is precisely why it matters.
While the generative integration is undeniably novel, the film struggles to ground its formal experiment in sustained visual or narrative discipline; the trilogy structure gestures toward tradition but the execution feels more demo than purposeful cinema.
The real move here isn't the AI toolkit—it's the decision to let the synthetic imagery carry emotional weight without apology, treating Midjourney outputs and deepfake texture not as a limitation to overcome but as the honest face of the story itself.
Reviews
It's strange to think that AI could have a mind of its own, but perhaps it's an inevitable possibility.
A well done movie that was compelling and thought provoking.
Festivals
- Cannes Film Festival - Marché du Film 2023