AI on the Lot has struck a deal with Toronto International Film Festival to host a pop-up event next month designed to help industry pros better understand the potential of generative AI tools for visual media.
The presentation aims to demonstrate how filmmakers are already making use of AI in storytelling. The session, open to credentialed festival-goers, will be held Sept. 8 at Glenn Gould Studio starting at 3:30 p.m. ET, followed by a happy hour at 5 p.m. The 49th annual Toronto fest is set to unfold Sept. 5-15.
AI on the Lot at TIFF will also mark the premiere of “Cinema Synthetica,” a short documentary about nine filmmakers who took part in a 48-hour challenge to produce short films using AI tools. The contest was held as part of the AI on the Lot conference in Hollywood in May.
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Participants set for AI on the Lot at TIFF include Walter Woodman, founder and firector at Shy Kids, the Toronto-based indie film collective making narrative short films with the much talked-about AI video program Sora; and Nik Kleverov, chief creative officer of Native Foreign, the creative agency and production company that created the viral AI-generated Toys R Us brand film using Sora. Also on board are Sam Pressman, CEO of Pressman Film; and Hilary Mason, co-founder and CEO of AI-driven gaming startup Hidden Door.
Todd Terrazas, lead organizer of AI on the Lot and executive director of Artificial Intelligence Los Angeles, will moderate the event.
“Following the record audience growth for our second annual conference this spring, we are excited to take AI on the Lot global with our first pop-up AI in filmmaking event at TIFF,” said Terrazas. “The world premiere of ‘Cinema Synthetica,’ along with demos of Sora’s capabilities and discussions from the creatives experimenting with this new technology, will offer attendees a comprehensive view into generative AI’s current capabilities.”
