News

A foreign language sci-fi movie is headed to U.S. movie theaters this spring, but audiences won’t have to groan about subtitles. For the first time, an international feature film will look and sound as if it was made in English thanks to artificial intelligence.

Though the supernatural Swedish adventure “Watch the Skies” was made in its native tongue, AI company Flawless has digitally altered the film’s images and sound so character mouth movements and speech will be perfectly synced for English speaking viewers. The tech uses voices of the original cast to create dubs, and is compliant with SAG-AFTRA.

AMC Theatres, the nation’s top movie chain, has committed 100 screens to the project in the top 20 markets across America. Flawless has partnered with distributor XYZ films to roll the film out to cineplexes on May 9.

“For the movie industry, this is a game changer,” producer Albin Pettersson...

Flawless has partnered with XYZ Films to sell US rights at EFM on an English-language version of Tom Tykwer’s Berlinale opening night film The Light that used the AI company’s immersive dubbing technology.

The process involves Flawless’s visual translation tool TrusSync, which has been praised by SAG-AFTRA’s top negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, and matches up manipulated lip movements of consenting original actors to a dubbed dialogue track in another language.

The Light is the latest in a growing pipeline of international films to undergo this process that Flawless and XYZ Films have acquired and, in some cases,...

Flawless has partnered with XYZ Films to sell US rights at EFM on an English-language version of Tom Tykwer’s Berlinale opening night film The Light that used the AI company’s immersive dubbing technology.

The process involves Flawless’s visual translation tool TrusSync, which has been praised by SAG-AFTRA’s top negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, and matches up manipulated lip movements of consenting original actors to a dubbed dialogue track in another language.

The Light is the latest in a growing pipeline of international films to undergo this process that Flawless and XYZ Films have acquired and, in some cases,...

Has Hollywood reached peak AI paranoia? This awards season, before Karla Sofía Gascón’s posts on X (formerly Twitter) about George Floyd and Islam became the focus of consternation, the Oscar uproar was centered on the use of artificial intelligence in the tweaking of voice performances in Emilia Pérez — for Gascón’s singing — and in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, to improve the pronunciation of Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones’ Hungarian-language dialog.

The virulence of the backlash against such minor and technical applications of AI — used, in both cases, with the full participation and approval of the artists involved — illustrates the widespread perception, inside the film industry and among the general public, that AI is a threat to jobs and to artistic integrity. An AI zero-tolerance policy has become fashionable for celebrities, with the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Glenn Close and Hank Azaria raising the alarm. Distributors have taken...

At present, watching a piece of foreign language content that’s been dubbed in English is an exercise in discomfort.

Thanks to the proliferation of local-language film and TV — brought to us mostly by streaming platforms — the experience of viewing a dubbed Danish crime procedural or a Spanish boarding school soap opera are nightmarish trips to the Uncanny Valley. That’s the term widely used for technology that does not suspend our disbelief and, in fact, takes human resemblance and tosses it into a blender of dystopian nightmares.

Enter Flawless, an AI-driven filmmaking studio that wants you to stream buzzy shows and still be able to sleep at night (sans visions of mismatching mouth movements and brutal scene cuts). Founded in 2018 by multi-hyphenate director Scott Mann and Nick Lynes, Flawless’ proprietary tech TrueSync maps over the faces of actors and delivers translations that are the most impressive we’ve seen...

Exclusive: AI firm Flawless, distributor-financier XYZ Films (Mandy), and producer Tea Shop Productions (The Fall) have acquired Michel Gondry’s 2023 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight movie The Book Of Solutions for all English-speaking territories.

Directed and written by Gondry, the French-language comedy is the first film in seven years from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep filmmaker.

It will be releases simultaneously in the original French language and converted to a director-approved English-language version using Flawless’ TrueSync AI technology, which became known after movies like The Fall. You can read about Flawless’ “visual translation” techniques and acquisitions strategy in our story here.

Pic stars Pierre Niney, Blanche Gardin, Francoise Lebrun and Vincent Elbaz and was produced by George Bermann at Partizan.

In the film, Marc (Niney), a bipolar and paranoid filmmaker, is having trouble with his latest project. With his editor as an accomplice, he manages...

The last couple of years have really ramped up in AI capability and debate. It even became one of the biggest issues that the artists fought for when the writers and actors held union strikes when Hollywood studios started to implement more of the technology to cut certain corners. People all over social media would blow up at Disney for attempting to slip by some rather synthetic-looking extras for a basketball scene in a Disney+ movie titled Prom Pact. Even films like Civil War and Late Night with the Devil, which have been shown admiration and support from audiences for the filmmakers’ ingenuity with their creative visions, came under fire for using AI technology for producing images.

A new article from The Hollywood Reporter has admitted that “everyone in Hollywood uses AI, but they are scared to admit it.” Naturally, no matter how big or how small the usage is,...

A scene from ‘Property’ – Fantastic Fest 2023

Director Daniel Bandeire’s Property starring Malu Galli took home top honors at the 2023 Fantastic Fest held in Austin, Texas. This year’s festival kicked off on September 21st and wraps up on September 28th.

“We were graced with wonderful films from around the world this year,” said Annick Mahnert, Director of Programming for Fantastic Fest. “Curating this diverse showcase of cinema for our esteemed jurors was a real privilege. With so many incredible perspectives represented, their job reviewing these fantastic movies was undeniably challenging. Their thoughtful and professional critiques of each work embody the cinematic excellence we love to champion at Fantastic Fest.”

2023 Fantastic Fest Winners

“Main Competition” Features

Best Picture: Property, directed by Daniel Bandeire

Best Director: Robert Morgan – Stopmotion

Honorable Mention: Animalia, directed by Sofia Alaoui

“Next Wave” Features

Best Picture: Sri Asih, directed by Upi Avianto

Best Directors: David Kapac...

In the age of "Stranger Things," everyone wants to make their nostalgia-soaked Amblin-esque movie. And every one of those movies arrives with a wink — Look at us! We're remixing and reheating that thing you love! That makes "UFO Sweden," an out-of-nowhere miracle of a science fiction adventure from the Swedish filmmaking collective Crazy Pictures, all the more satisfying. Everyone in Hollywood wants to capture those Spielberg-ian, those Donner-ian vibes. They lean so hard on the "Remember this thing you loved?" pump that they forget to make something that actually stands alone, capturing the quality that defined that kind of movie while eschewing the obvious trappings.

Leave it to a bunch of uber-talented Swedes to out-Hollywood Hollywood and craft the kind of character-centric adventure that used to be this industry's bread and butter. The 1996 setting of "UFO Sweden" isn't just an aesthetic (even though it is well utilized), but a...

Flawless, XYZ Films and Tea Shop Productions have acquired the Cannes Critics’ Week selection “Vincent Must Die” for all English-speaking territories from Goodfellas.

Flawless, the pioneering film technology company and a leader in the field of visual translation, recently announced it has launched a partnership with XYZ Films and Tea Shop Productions to acquire rights to foreign-language films, converting them to English for distribution in relevant markets.

Directed by Stéphan Castang, “Vincent Must Die” is written by Mathieu Naert, produced by Thierry Lounas and Claire Bonnefoy, and stars Karim Leklou and Vimala Pons. In the film, an ordinary man finds himself fighting for his life after he goes out one day and is mysteriously attacked by random strangers in the street with the intent to kill him.

This is the first film from the production company Wild West. Goodfellas and Capricci joined forces to create Wild West, a production company...

The duo behind the hit Nordic franchise “Snabba Cash,” helmer Jesper Ganslandt and screenwriter Oskar Söderlund, have re-teamed on “Cry Wolf,” an action thriller series starring British musician-turned-actor Eliot Sumner (“No Time to Die”).

Ordered by Swedish broadcaster TV4, “Cry Wolf” is based on “Vargasommar,” the anticipated debut novel of Hans Rosenfeldt, the BAFTA-nominated creator of “Bron” (“The Bridge”) and British series “Marcella.” Fifth Season has boarded international sales.

“Cry Wolf” will also star Eva Melander (“UFO Sweden”) and Henrik Dorsin (“Triangle of Sadness”). It will start filming in in Haparanda, near the border of Finland, in July. Melander is set play Hannah Wester, a 54-year-old police officer whose quiet life in Haparanda gets turned upside down after a wolf is found dead. The ordinary investigation becomes a sprawling criminal case connected to a bloody drug deal in Finland and sparks a series of brutal events.

Ganslandt said he “wanted...

REinvent International Sales can feel the love tonight, having sold Berlinale Series Market Selects offering “Out of Touch” to Holland (Npb) and “Sleep Around” to Germany (Rtl Passion).

“We are thrilled to see our two series find such great homes and look very much forward to introducing buyers to ‘Out of Touch’ here at EFM,” said sales & marketing director Helene Aurø.

Produced by Stockholm-based Breakable Films and Art & Bob, with Discovery+ attached, LGBTQ+ series “Sleep Around” was created by Mikael Ljung and Lina Åström.

In the show, when Line gets dumped by her girlfriend, she turns to her best friend for advice. But Elin offers a somewhat unconventional remedy: Maintaining a Tinder account in Line’s name and encouraging her to sleep around. “Skam’s” Ulrikke Falch and Clara Henry star.

Another Breakable Films production, “Out of Touch,” was created by Ljung, with Åström and Marja Nyberg listed as showrunners.

The teen sci-fi film is directed by the Crazy Pictures collective.

REinvent has closed a batch of deals on its EFM title UFO Sweden, directed by the Crazy Pictures collective.

The film has now sold to France (Wild Bunch), Italy (Plaion), Poland (Vivarto) and Baltics (Estin Film). This adds to previous deals to Germany (Telepool), Spain (A Contracorriente Films) and Hungary (Vertigo).

The story is described as “the love child between The X-Files and Stranger Things, set in a small town in 1990s Sweden”. It is about a rebellious teenage girl, played by Inez Dahl Torhaug, who believes her father has been kidnapped by aliens.

Erik Poppe’s historical drama “The Emigrants” scored the top Andreas Award at the 50th Norwegian International Film Festival Haugesund. Produced by Fredrik Wikström Nicastro, it is distributed by Sf Studios. Poppe is also known for “Utøya: July 22” and “The King’s Choice.”

Based on Vilhelm Moberg’s series of novels about Swedes who decided to leave their country and search for a better future, it “tackles deep questions about cultural and religious identity,” argued the jurors.

“Even though the events in this story are long behind us, the film reminds us of our own present,” they added.

Interestingly enough, in 1971 Jan Troell also took on the story, ending up with four Academy Awards nominations – including one for Liv Ullmann.

“She was able to see our film and she is its biggest ambassador now. She just loves this take and noticed that it’s about the refugees today. It takes place 150 years ago,...

REinvent International Sales has clinched a banner sale to Gussi for Latin America on the Norwegian pic “Storm,” which is screening at Haugesund’s New Nordic Films market, running Aug. 23-26.

The Norwegian suspense drama, penned by Johan Fasting, is the feature debut of Erika Calmeyer, episodic director of Netflix’s hit teen show “Young Royals” and creator of Nrk’s anthology show “Nudes.”

Headlining the pic is Ane Dahl Torp, cast as single mum Elin, faced with a terrible dilemma, following the death of her son Ulrik (6). The boy was playing with his sister Storm (10) when he drowned, but classmates claim that Storm actually pushed her brother into the river. Elin’s unconditional love for her daughter is challenged, as she has to face the truth about what happened by the river.

“Elin is faced with an impossible dilemma where she both tries to defend her daughter against serious accusations,...

More than 300 industry delegates from top shingles including Warner Bros Discovery, Viaplay, Germany’s Constantin Film, The Match Factory and France’s TF1 Studio are expected on the shores of Haugesund, Norway, over Aug. 23-26, for Scandinavia’s major film showcase, New Nordic Films.

Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness” will both open the film confab festivities and screen alongside 18 new Nordic finished films at the market. But for the avid buyers and programmers of Nordic content, the biggest draw will be the 18 works in progress – half of them looking for sales and distribution – and 23 pics in development available for co-production and financing.

“We’ve noticed a shift in recent years, with buyers and sellers favouring the Works in Progress and Nordic Coproduction Market over the market screenings. These seem to be more valuable for the industry,” said Gyda Velvin Myklebust, head of New Nordic Films.

REinvent International Sales has closed major territory sales on “UFO Sweden,” a science fiction movie adventure from Crazy Pictures, a Swedish film collective whose past credits includes the 2018 hit movie “The Unthinkable.”

Described as a mix between “X-Files” and “Stranger Things,” “UFO Sweden” is set in a small town and follows a teenage rebel placed in foster care, who suspects that her father is not dead, but has been kidnapped by UFOs. With the help from a UFO association, she is determined to find out the truth. REinvent International Sales has sold “UFO Sweden” to Germany (Telepool), Spain (A Contracorriente Films) and Hungary (Vertigo). Other deals are in discussions.

Crazy Pictures got the idea for the film after learning about UFO-Sweden, which investigates mysterious phenomena and manages the world’s largest UFO archive, Archives for the Unexplained in Norrköping, Sweden.

“UFO Sweden” shot in Norrköping, Sweden, in September. Sf Studios...