The first fully AI-generated film to be accepted into a film festival is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. Titled Dreams of Violets, the 75-minute docudrama was created entirely using artificial intelligence and will make its world premiere on June 10.
A film born from limitation
Produced by Fountain 0, the movie was directed by Iranian-born brothers Ash and Pooya Koosha, who left Iran in 2009. With a budget of just $2,000 and a production timeline of three months, the film was made without actors, sets, or cameras. In a director's statement, Ash Koosha admitted: 'I would have preferred to make this film with a crew, with actors, with the dignity of a full production. That was not available to me. I am one person, in exile, with no access to Iran, no access to the locations, no access to the people.'
He added: 'The AI pipeline made it possible to do what would otherwise have been impossible: to create a memorial film for an event that happened behind a wall I cannot cross.'
The story behind the film
Dreams of Violets is a fictional dramatization based on a real massacre of civilians that occurred in January 2026. The plot follows five Iranians who meet in a Tehran alley before being executed, witnessed by a 10-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. Although the images and characters are AI-generated, the dramatization draws from photographs, journalistic accounts, and eyewitness reports.
AI in Hollywood: A divisive tool
The film's acceptance comes amid a heated debate over AI in the movie industry. At the recent Cannes Film Festival, figures like Steven Soderbergh and Demi Moore urged the industry to embrace the technology. However, many Hollywood writers fear AI could replace jobs, and some actors have taken legal action to protect their likenesses. Matthew McConaughey has sued to prevent unauthorized use of his image, while Cate Blanchett founded a non-profit to stop AI companies from using artists' work without permission.
The Koosha brothers acknowledged these concerns: 'We fully understand the very genuine sensitivities of those individuals working in the movie industry, and like them we are worried what the unknown implications are for the livelihoods of many. New types of jobs will undoubtedly be created in the AI film generation world. But the reality is that this film never would have been made if it were not for the AI capabilities that we were able to develop.'
Tribeca's perspective
Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of the Tribeca Festival, praised the film: 'The Tribeca Festival has long championed artists who push the boundaries of storytelling and explore new creative frontiers. Dreams of Violets from first-time filmmakers Ash and Pooya Koosha is a powerful example of how emerging technologies like AI can be used not simply as tools of innovation, but as vehicles for deeply human storytelling.'
'At this time in history when both artificial intelligence and Iran are central to global conversation, this film offers audiences a rare and intimate perspective into a conflict many have not been able to fully see or understand,' Rosenthal added. 'What moved us was not just the technological achievement, but the emotional immediacy and urgency of the story itself.'
The 2026 Tribeca Film Festival runs from June 3 to 14 in New York City.
