News & Reports

On Thursday, October 23, 2025, at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, the Asia premiere screening of the 100% generative-AI SF short film Imperia, directed by German composer and film-maker Marcel Barsotti, took place. 

The screening was held as part of the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2025 Autumn. Director Barsotti and his wife and co-screenwriter Gundula Barsotti‑Bast were present in Japan, ahead of their participation in the International Conference “AI and the Future of Image Production” scheduled at the Akasaka Intercity Conference Center on Sunday, October 26.

“Imperia” is a 36-minute science-fiction piece, entirely created using generative AI. 

The film has received the Honorary Tribute Film Award at the Toronto International Peace Film Festival, and is planned to screen at festivals in Tokyo, Rome, Utah, Paris and other cities around the world. 

A large audience gathered at the premiere, captivated by the grand visuals produced by AI and the film’s unique world-view. After the screening, the Barsotti couple took the stage and answered three moderator questions:

Q1. “Since ‘Imperia’ was made entirely with generative AI, what process did you use to realize the entire film?”

Marcel Barsotti:

“Imperia was produced entirely by generative AI. It’s fundamentally different from the traditional analog film-making process. We first prepared the script as usual, and then used AI at every subsequent stage. We used AI for visual design, character creation, editing, sound design, and even Dolby 5.1 mixing. Particularly, by employing a large number of morphing techniques and repeatedly generating and altering images, we created a visual style unlike any other. I composed the music, handled the sound design, and did the AI-voiced dubbing myself. For me, AI is not just a tool—it is a new artistic challenge.” Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia

Q2. “Ms. Barsotti-Bast, as co-screenwriter, what was your involvement in this work?”

Gundula Barsotti-Bast:

“Marcel always has a thousand ideas. I first selected from his vast ideas those that matched the theme, and started by structuring the story’s skeleton. Although using AI tends to make the process technical, I was particularly conscious of how to retain human emotion.” Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia

Q3. “Now that the era of AI film-making has begun, where do you see ‘creative human-ness’ and ‘human emotion’ as film-makers?”

Marcel Barsotti:

“AI will fundamentally change the world of film. From now on, I think hybrid works that fuse live-action, CG, animation and AI film will emerge one after another. At the same time, even as AI evolves, we must not forget that the core of creativity remains human. AI is merely a powerful tool; what directs it is the human being. It is the artist who decides the vision of emotion and story—and there lies the soul of cinema.” Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia

Following the screening, many audience members commented: “I was amazed that AI could create visuals like this.” and “It made me reconsider what human–AI collaboration in film should be.”

It was a premiere event where the 36-minute epic SF world and the new expressive possibilities of AI technology were made vividly manifest. 

“Imperia” is scheduled for further screenings at domestic and international film festivals. Director Marcel Barsotti and his wife/co-writer Gundula Barsotti-Bast will also appear at the conference “The Future of Filmmaking with AI” on Sunday, October 26.