AI-inspired Werner Herzog film explores creativity and originality in the digital era at IDFA 2024

An AI-trained on Werner Herzog’s works delivers a hybrid film, blending fiction, documentary, and technology.

The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has premiered About a Hero, a unique hybrid film created using artificial intelligence (AI) trained on the works of celebrated filmmaker Werner Herzog. Directed by Piotr Winiewicz, the project blends narrative fiction, documentary interviews, and AI-generated content to examine themes of originality, authenticity, and creativity in an era dominated by technological advancements.

The film begins with Herzog investigating a mysterious death in a fictional town, Getunkirchenburg. However, it soon reveals itself as an exploration of AI's ability to mimic human creativity, utilizing a script produced by Kaspar, an AI system trained on Herzog’s distinctive cinematic style and extensive body of work. The story intertwines with interviews featuring artists, philosophers, and scientists reflecting on the evolving relationship between creativity and artificial intelligence.

Winiewicz shared that the project drew inspiration from Herzog’s famous assertion that computers would need 4,500 years to create a film as good as his. While the director did not see the film as a challenge to this statement, he embraced the opportunity to experiment with AI’s capabilities. Over six years, the production team collaborated with machine learning engineers, refining the AI's output into a coherent script. Notable actors Vicky Krieps and Stephen Fry joined the project, bringing depth to its hybrid storytelling.

Winiewicz emphasized the film’s intent to provoke dialogue about the duality of AI—both as a tool for innovation and a potential source of ethical concerns. The director now plans to pursue new creative endeavors, including a romantic comedy, while reflecting on the complex implications of technology in art and society.

About a Hero positions itself at the intersection of art and technology, inviting audiences to question the nature of human creativity in the digital age.