Back to the Pacific Future

Apologies for the long silence on this platform. I’ve been doing summer and everything that comes with that in this part of the world — islands, ocean, reading, wine, and in this case it has also meant preparing a new event which happens tomorrow (October 2), called Pacific Future: Ai & Film. This is a one day takeover of the Signals Creative Tech Expo 2024, which is a co-production of DigiBC and the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).

The event is dedicated to exploring AI’s role in the future of filmmaking through the lens of technological innovation, artistic expression, and industry collaboration. We are aiming to engage communities in dialogue about the future of film and moving image creation.

The event will feature 2 screenings and 2 panels.

We are screening films by BORA, Leilanni Todd (Floamworld), Nobody & The Computer, YZA Voku, Julie Wieland, Maria Pokrovskaya, Mindeye, LeMoon Synthography, Stacie Ant & Guile Twardowski, Manuel Sainsily & Will Selviz, Dave Clark, Dale Williams, Metapuppet, Aze Alter, and Abel Art.

Image: Floamworld, Leillani Todd

There are also talks by Octavian Mot and Vince McCurley from the National Film Board of Canada.

I’m moderating the first panel, New AI Filmmakers and Creators: Aesthetics, Processes, and Impact, featuring Manuel Sainsily, Stacie Ant, and Loretta Todd. We will explore how AI is reshaping aesthetics and challenging traditional visual norms and forms. Topics will include the practical impacts of AI-enabled tools on creative workflows and capabilities, highlighting what artists and filmmakers can now achieve, and how AI is democratizing filmmaking by lowering barriers and empowering new voices, leading to innovative forms of expression, distribution methods, and emerging creative communities.

Michael Tippett will moderate the second panel Navigating Challenges, Opportunities and Transformations in Film and Production Industries, featuring Bryan Biniak (SongTradr), Rob Bralver (DreamFlareAI), D. Ryan Reeb, and Rachel Joy Victor (FBRC). This panel will examine current challenges and transformative impacts of AI in filmmaking and moving image industries. Discussions will cover the limitations of AI image-making technologies, their effects on media production, and how these limitations shape the industry's future. They will also examine how AI integration has changed production processes, the most exciting or concerning AI developments, and the economic impacts of generative AI in Hollywood. 

If anyone is Vancouver and wants to come, let me know and I’ll sneak you in!!