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The film world is experiencing a complex shift in its relationship with artificial intelligence, as studios and filmmakers navigate the technology’s potential and challenges.

Recent Oscar-nominated films have thrust AI into the spotlight, revealing both its promise and controversy. “The Brutalist” and “Emilia Pérez” used AI voice enhancement technology to improve actor performances, sparking immediate debate in Hollywood.

Major celebrities like Robert Downey Jr. and Glenn Close have voiced strong concerns about AI’s impact. Some productions have even started adding “no AI” disclaimers in film credits, similar to animal welfare statements.

However, a different perspective is emerging, particularly in international filmmaking. Scott Mann from AI company Flawless notes an “incredible undercurrent of excitement” among filmmakers about AI’s potential, despite public hesitation.

Innovative technologies are pushing boundaries. Flawless is developing “immersive dubbing” that adjusts actors’ lip movements for different languages. Director Tom Tykwer recently used this technology for “The Light,...

“Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” which has its world premiere on Saturday in the World Cinema Documentary Competition section of the Sundance Film Festival, delivers an insider’s view of the impact of Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine on the lives of Russia’s children. Variety spoke to the film’s director, David Borenstein, who worked alongside Pavel “Pasha” Talankin, the subject of the film and its co-director. The film has its European premiere at Göteborg Film Festival on Jan. 31. The trailer is shown below.

The genesis for the project came when Pasha, a high-school teacher in a provincial town in Russia, responded to a request from a web content company for people to explain how the “special military operation” in Ukraine, as they call the invasion in Russia, had impacted their jobs.

“Pasha responded to it with a passionate, political diatribe, talking about how his job had been turned upside down,...

“Putin” is scheduled to be released in theaters in January 2025. “Power is not given, it is taken. And once taken, it must be held with an iron grip.” (Guess who said that!) Supposedly “Putin” is the real life story of Vladmir Putin, the current tyrannical dictator of Russia (as of 2024), who ensured that he won a “fair” election by any means necessary. Once he was in power he refused to Leave! So now even though the citizens won’t say it out loud, likely for fear of being poisoned with nerve agents and ending up like Alexei Navalny or Sergei and Yulia Skripal, everybody is just waiting for him to Die! Hey! Nobody lives forever! Not On My Watch List!! But if you’re interested, … Slawomir Sobala, the versatile actor who plays Vladimir Putin is being praised for his realistic portrayal of the Russian leader. He wholly immersed himself in the role.

The actor’s name is Slawomir Sobala and he plays “the most despised person in the world.” He knows he likely won’t receive any awards for his performance despite its power and timeliness and the personal risks in its physical production.

His movie, titled Putin, opens January 10 on screens in 64 countries, including about 200 in the U.S. The chilling biopic about the Russian despot’s climb to power carries the subtitle “Absolute power is not enough.”

Foreign policy experts speculate that a Vladimir Putin-Donald Trump summit could coincidentally take place within weeks of the movie’s opening. Patryck Vega, its Polish director, is far from optimistic about the results of such a summit given the overreaching egos and appetites of the two leaders. And the nuclear threats already exchanged.

Vega, who has spent years studying Putin’s coming of age and climb to power, shot his $14 million movie in locations in Poland,...

Exclusive: Georgian Anti-Putin drama The Antique, which had its world premiere at Venice’s Giornate degli Autori temporarily suspended after Russian and Croatian producers issued an injunction claiming copyright issues, is back in the courts again.

The film’s Georgian producer Zurab Magalashvili at Tbilisi-based Cinetech Film Production and director Rusudan Glurjidze have revealed that the production has been hit by a fresh lawsuit, in what they call “an increasingly aggressive attempt to undermine this Anti-Putin film”.

The drama, which is Georgia’s Oscar entry this year, takes inspiration from the real-life illegal expulsion of thousands of Georgian nationals from Russia in 2006.

The deportations were part of the so-called 2006 Georgian–Russian espionage controversy, sparked by Georgia’s arrest of a number of Russian military officers on charges of espionage and terrorism, when Vladimir Putin was in his first term as Russian president.

According to a writ filed at the...

A new book delivered a bombshell claim that Donald Trump sent Vladimir Putin Covid-19 tests during the pandemic. Late Night with Seth Meyers took a closer look at the story, slamming Trump for contradicting his "America first" policy.

According to author Bob Woodward, then-President Trump sent Covid-19 tests to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a time when Americans struggled to access test kits. Trump's team has denied many of Woodward's claims, but the ex-president's open fondness for Putin lends credibility to Woodward's reporting.

Seth Meyers opened up Wednesday night's episode of Late Night by using "A Closer Look" to discuss the story. The comedian framed the Covid-Putin story in terms of Trump's "America first" policies and comments.

Meyers reminded his audience how difficult it was for many Americans to get tested for Covid-19. Long lines at pharmacies and kit shortages only added to the collective anxiety. As Meyers put it,...