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    AI-generated film at Tropfest 2026 sparks filmmaker backlash
    Australia

    AI-generated film at Tropfest 2026 sparks filmmaker backlash

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    2. Universal-Cereal-Bus on

      How could you create a short film festival and then not see the implications of allowing a completely AI-generated short film into the competition at all, let alone select one as a *finalist*?

      Did covid break everyone’s brains? Why are there so many publicly stupid people now?

    3. Thagyr on

      >”Tropfest has a 30-year history of supporting artists, and we take the current feedback — indeed any feedback — from the filmmaking community seriously as we look toward the future.”

      “We support artists”

      >Mr Polson said there was no notable concern from the community when the rules permitting AI were made public in November last year

      “We allow AI”

      Pick one.

    4. aussiekev on

      The judges have deliberately chosen this film as ragebait to generate discussion and get attention for the festival.

      It’s just sad that they are going for attention instead of respecting the hundreds (if not thousands) of people involved in all the other entries.

    5. Abominom on

      It was a series of those standard visual prompts of a good illustration but turned into slow moving limited smeary animation
      But the script was the most crude film noir tropefest

      But the cringest thing was that people clapped and laughed

      I think they’re are liars

    6. TomTheJester on

      I think even if AI is fully disclosed it has no place in Tropfest UNLESS it is used creatively as a tool.

      But an entire “animation” with a presumably generated screenplay is the result of a few button clicks, not a creator.

      I was actually interested in entering this comp next year, but this finalist pick showed me my efforts would be better used elsewhere.

    7. kristamine14 on

      I truly don’t understand who this is for – all of these ai generated “movies” look like absolute unrealistic fever dream dogshit anyway, like who tf is watching this nonsense?

      You only ever see them posted by like techbros or grifters saying things like “Hollywood/Rockstar games gotta be sweating rn fr!”

    10. Jelleyicious on

      I was there for the event. Lots of people (me included) found the script funny, but it absolutely should have been no where near the final cut of movies. Its pretty insulting to the other competitors and makes a joke out of the whole event.

    11. AiRaikuHamburger on

      I entered Tropfest back in the day and I would have been royally pissed if my lovingly human-made entry lost out to AI slop. This takes away from the 700 human-made entries.

    12. Ridiculousnessmess on

      It wouldn’t be Tropfest without at least one particularly tone deaf finalist selection.

    14. toolate on

      On top of it all: the film is terrible. 
      Generic, derivative styling that is relying on tropes and topical references to house prices and bin chickens. 

      Aesthetically it’s inconsistent and awful. The film doesn’t even seem to know why it has adopted a blue and orange palette or why it’s a cartoon.