TOKYO - Japan’s first international AI film festival was held over the holiday weekend, drawing more than 400 works from around 40 countries including the United States and South Korea, each created using generative AI technology.
Among the submissions, a Japanese entry won the AI Comedy Award, while one of the festival’s main highlights was a 70-minute feature film created entirely by a 53-year-old woman with no prior experience in filmmaking or AI.
The film, titled "No Breath, No Heartbeat," was made entirely with generative AI—from the visuals and dialogue to the soundtrack. Director Ikuko Endo, who lives in Barcelona and runs a PR consulting firm, said she poured her heart into the project to deliver a message she had held for over 20 years. "I just wanted to convey this story," Endo said. "It’s something I’ve carried within me for a long time, and when AI appeared, I knew it was finally possible to express it."
Her film was created over four months, piecing together one- to ten-second clips generated through detailed prompts. "It became 70 minutes by stitching each second together," she said. "The only thing I could reduce was sleep—I barely slept until it was done."
Asked why she decided to create a feature-length AI movie despite being a beginner, Endo explained that she had long sought a way to express a story visualized in her mind but had neither the skills of a manga artist nor a novelist. "AI appeared like a tool that finally made it possible," she said. "I had this strong sense of mission to deliver a message I’d held for 25 years."
Before turning to filmmaking, Endo worked as a voice actor in Japan, having recorded over a thousand commercials, including the familiar jingle "Anata to konbini FamilyMart." When the hosts played the clip in the studio, she laughed, saying, "I think anyone over 30 probably knows my voice."
The festival also featured other creators experimenting with AI filmmaking. One participant demonstrated how AI-generated images are first used as scene references before being animated, explaining that a single prompt could yield multiple variations within seconds. "It’s amazing how easily dynamic cuts can be created at the press of a button," he said. AI tools were also used to produce sound effects and music, showing how individuals with little technical background could now complete entire productions on their own.
Panelists noted that Japan lags behind other countries like China and the U.S. in adopting generative AI, partly due to concerns about copyright and privacy laws, as well as the education system’s slow adaptation. "In Japan, using AI can still be seen as cheating in schools," commented journalist Nakamura. "There’s a strong sense of caution toward new technology, which may explain the gap."
Endo, however, saw AI not as a threat but as a gift. "AI doesn’t surpass human beings," she said. "It can’t yet reproduce the fire in the eyes or the cry of the soul. That’s what makes human creativity special."
She encouraged others to try expressing their own stories. "Everyone has something they want to tell the world," she said. "Now that we live in an era where anyone can make films, I hope more people will take the leap."
Commentators concluded that the emergence of AI has dramatically lowered the barriers to filmmaking, allowing new talent to surface. "It used to take entire teams and large budgets to produce a film," one said. "Now, with AI, people like Endo can bring their visions to life on their own, proving that technology is expanding—not replacing—human creativity."
Source: TBS
