The Future of Filmmaking in the Age of AI Debated by Global Industry Leaders at SSFF & ASIA 2025 Autumn -- International Conference Now Available On-Demand
TOKYO, Dec. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA), an Academy Award®–qualifying festival and one of Asia's largest international short film festivals, has released the on-demand archive of its international conference "The Future of Filmmaking with AI: Creativity, Collaboration, and Ethics." Held on October 26, 2025, during the SSFF & ASIA 2025 Screening in Autumn, the conference brought together filmmakers, producers, researchers, and media leaders from 10 countries to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping cinema.
Opening the event, SSFF & ASIA Executive Director Seigo Tono highlighted the rapid growth of AI-assisted filmmaking within the festival. Out of approximately 5,000 international submissions received annually, AI-related works increased from about 2% (112 films) in 2024 to roughly 6% (275 films) in 2025, signaling the emergence of AI cinema as a significant new form of creative expression.
Discussions were structured around three key themes: Creativity & Collaboration, Ethics & Cultural Responsibility, and The Future Vision of AI Cinema. Across sessions, speakers emphasized that AI should not be viewed merely as a technical tool, but increasingly as a creative partner. Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kushida described AI as a "dialogue partner" capable of drawing out human memory and emotion, while director Hiroki Yamaguchi suggested that AI may eventually evolve into a genuine co-creator. German composer and filmmaker Marcel Barsotti shared insights from his AI-driven production process involving tens of thousands of prompts, underscoring that storytelling remains the core of cinema regardless of technology.
Panelists also addressed regional differences in AI adoption. From constrained production environments in Iran, where AI can function as a "shield" or even a surrogate producer, to emerging film industries in Africa, where AI offers the possibility to leapfrog traditional barriers, the technology was widely seen as a democratizing force. At the same time, speakers from Mexico, Korea, and Europe raised concerns around ethics, copyright, and the risk of fully automated creation diluting artistic intent.
Concluding the conference, SSFF & ASIA Founder and President Tetsuya Bessho reaffirmed the festival's mission to celebrate storytelling across eras of technological change. The event closed with a shared optimism that AI will not diminish human creativity, but expand it—opening a new chapter in global filmmaking where humans and AI create together.
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