New sci-fi short could be the start – or end – of AI-generated films at Cinema St. Louis festivals

Generative AI is just about everywhere. That includes this year’s St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase — in the form of a sci-fi short called “Anomaly” by writer and director Jack Snyder. Ahead of a ticketed July 25 town hall about Cinema St. Louis’s future festival policy regarding AI submissions, Snyder discusses what prompted him to experiment with artificial intelligence and what the experience revealed about the realities of working with AI. He also drew parallels between current debates over AI in filmmaking and resistance to the mid-2000’s move away from 35mm film to digital.