The Hexagonal Hive and A Mouse in a Maze, directed by Tilda Swinton, two films about the mechanisms of learning and how it is influenced by technology; About a Hero, an adaptation of a script written by an AI machine that has studied the work of Werner Herzog; and an audiovisual conversation with an intelligent software in The Biography of a Software by Giorgos Drivas, the first full-length Greek AI film, are some of the films at the 27th Thessaloniki (Greece) Documentary Festival that will take the audience on a journey into the world of " Inevitable Intelligence ".
The central theme of this year's Thessaloniki Documentary Festival is artificial intelligence, which, according to artistic director Orestis Andreadakis, "is a fascinating tool. But it can also be a frightening and dangerous weapon if no limits are set and no rules are established".
The tribute on AI invites audiences on an exciting journey that includes a selection of groundbreaking documentaries, the art installation LAUREN: Anyone Home? by artist and UCLA professor Lauren Lee McCarthy, and the masterclass AI and ART EXPERIENCE. In LAUREN, the artist acts as another Alexa, monitoring and controlling the home of visitors to the art installation. The experience begins with the installation of smart devices such as cameras, microphones, locks, taps and appliances that transform the space into a fully connected smart home.
Unlike standard smart home technologies, LAUREN focuses on human presence, bringing understanding and intuition to simple algorithms. It acts as a human-centric digital assistant, balancing intimacy and privacy, convenience and autonomy, while highlighting the role of human labour in an increasingly automated world. Through this experience, LAUREN invites audiences to reflect on their relationship with technology and the control it exerts over their personal space, offering a different view of what truly 'smart' technology can mean. The project demonstrates how AI can be a catalyst for meaningful dialogue. The project was awarded the Human AI Art Award.
At the same time, the Immersive section will present the interactive art installation AI & I / AI & Me by Romanian filmmakers and media artists Daniela Nedovesku and Octavian Mott.
AI & Me has two separate and complementary strands. It realises the unspoken human desire to be subjected to the evaluative judgement of an AI. The initial portrait sketched by the machine is accompanied in a second phase (for those selected by the machine) by the production of invented images on screens placed around the room, depicting the participants in a series of bizarre and open-ended settings. An immersive experience that disrupts the sense of identity we have created for ourselves and confronts us with certain uncomfortable and repressed thoughts that may never have crossed our minds.
Daniella Nedovesku and Octavian Mot, also known as mots, are filmmakers and media artists from Romania who have been living and working as an artistic duo in Germany for over a decade. In addition to filmmaking and moving image projects, the mots build machines in their studio that aim to actively engage viewers, inviting them to reflect on their own behaviour and attitudes. Recently, they have incorporated AI into their artistic tools, exploring not only its impact on society, but also what this innovative and uncharted form of intelligence reveals about ourselves.
The films in the AI tribute are: About a Hero (2024) by Piotr Viniewicz; Flash Wars: Autonomous Weapons, A.I. and the Future of Warfare (2024) by Daniel Andrew Wunderer. In the Belly of AI (2024) by Henri Poulain. The Biography of a Software by Giorgos Drivas (2024). The Hexagonal Hive and a Mouse in a Maze (2024) by Bartek Giantos and Tilda Swinton. iHuman (2019) by Tonye Hesen Shea.
As part of the Tribute, the Festival has partnered with OpenDocs, a pioneering global programme that provides support and funding, AI tools and mentoring to creators around the world. This is an initiative by Anna Giralt Gris and Jorge Caballero that aims to make it easier for creators around the world to integrate AI tools into storytelling. Five of the films selected through OpenDocs will be screened at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.
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Photo: Poster of iHuman (2019) by Tonje Hessen Schei
