In a significant advancement for AI in creative media, Google DeepMind's first AI-assisted film 'ANCESTRA' will make its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 13, 2025, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of filmmaking technology.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Eliza McNitt and executive produced by visionary director Darren Aronofsky through his new venture Primordial Soup, 'ANCESTRA' represents a new hybrid production model that thoughtfully integrates traditional filmmaking with cutting-edge AI tools.
The film tells the story of an emergency childbirth where 'a mother's love becomes a cosmic force to save her daughter's life.' McNitt drew inspiration from her own birth experience, training AI models on her baby pictures and photographs taken by her late father to create visuals that would be impossible to capture through conventional means.
'With ANCESTRA, I was able to visualize the unseen, transforming family archives, emotions, and science into a cinematic experience that feels both intimate and expansive,' McNitt explained. The production features SAG-AFTRA actors in live-action sequences alongside AI-generated imagery depicting cosmic events and microscopic worlds.
The project is the first of three short films being developed through the strategic partnership between Google DeepMind and Primordial Soup. Google provided early access to its state-of-the-art video generation tools, including Veo 3 and Flow, while the filmmakers offered valuable feedback to refine the technology for creative applications.
Aronofsky emphasized that AI should empower artists rather than replace traditional filmmaking: 'Filmmaking has always been driven by technology. After the Lumiere Brothers and Edison's ground-breaking invention, filmmakers unleashed the hidden storytelling power of cameras. Now is the moment to explore these new tools and shape them for the future of storytelling.'
Following the screening, Aronofsky will moderate a panel discussion with McNitt and other key collaborators to explore how human memory, emotional storytelling, and generative AI tools came together in the making of 'ANCESTRA.' The conversation will examine how filmmakers can shape AI's role in the future of cinematic expression while maintaining artistic integrity and vision.