Plan B’s pan-European parent company Mediawan has taken a majority stake in Our Films, the new production and film financing company formed by Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli, the award-winning Italian producer duo behind “The Young Pope” and “My Brilliant Friend.”
Based in Rome, Our Films reunites Gianani and Mieli, who exited their respective Fremantle-owned banners, Wildside and the Apartment, earlier this year. The pair, whose flair for talent has shined through their impressive track record over the years, will continue working with European, U.S. and international filmmakers and talent across features, documentaries and series.
Gianani and Mieli also have a co-production deal with Fremantle under which they will continue to shepherd a number of projects that they initiated at Fremantle, some of which are hot titles world premiering at the Venice Film Festival, such as Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer,” starring Daniel Craig; Pablo Larraín’s Maria Callas...
Based in Rome, Our Films reunites Gianani and Mieli, who exited their respective Fremantle-owned banners, Wildside and the Apartment, earlier this year. The pair, whose flair for talent has shined through their impressive track record over the years, will continue working with European, U.S. and international filmmakers and talent across features, documentaries and series.
Gianani and Mieli also have a co-production deal with Fremantle under which they will continue to shepherd a number of projects that they initiated at Fremantle, some of which are hot titles world premiering at the Venice Film Festival, such as Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer,” starring Daniel Craig; Pablo Larraín’s Maria Callas...
- 8/27/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy and Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm) has Wednesday announced its full film program, including special presentations, official selections, and more for its 55th edition, running September 19-25 throughout the city. The selection includes more than 150 films, including 47 feature-length titles and more than 33 U.S., North American, and world premieres. As previously announced, a special opening night double-feature will include “Devo” and “Revel Country,” with “This Is a Film About the Black Keys” closing the festival.
Following the special opening night double-feature screening on September 19, additional notable festival presentations include: Netflix’s “Will & Harper” stars Will Ferrell and his friend Harper Steele, who recently came out as a trans woman, on a road trip to process this new phase of their friendship; Apple Original Films’ “The Last of the Sea Women,” a documentary produced by A24 and executive produced by Malala Yousafzai, follows an extraordinary band of feisty grandmother warriors as...
Following the special opening night double-feature screening on September 19, additional notable festival presentations include: Netflix’s “Will & Harper” stars Will Ferrell and his friend Harper Steele, who recently came out as a trans woman, on a road trip to process this new phase of their friendship; Apple Original Films’ “The Last of the Sea Women,” a documentary produced by A24 and executive produced by Malala Yousafzai, follows an extraordinary band of feisty grandmother warriors as...
- 8/15/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Die Beetz-Brothers-Produktion „Eternal You – Vom Ende der Endlichkeit“ hat einen US-Verleih gefunden. Film Movement und Streamingservice Kanopy haben sich gemeinsam die Auswertungsrechte für Nordamerika gesichert.
Startete am 20. Juni in den deutschen Kinos: „Eternal You – Vom Ende der Endlichkeit” (Credit: Farbfilm Verleih)
Der Dokumentarfilm „Eternal You – Vom Ende der Endlichkeit“, bei dem die Beetz Brothers nach „Im Schatten der Netzwelt – The Cleaners“ wieder mit dem Duo Moritz Riesewieck und Hans Block zusammenarbeiteten, hat einen US-Verleih gefunden. Film Movement und der Streamingservice Kanopy haben sich gemeinsam die Auswertungsrechte für Nordamerika gesichert. „Eternal You“, in dem Block/Riesewieck den Wunsch der Menschen nach Unsterblichkeit hinterfragen, feierte beim Sundance Film Festival 2024 Weltpremiere (wie übrigens auch der Vorgänger) und lief anschließend unter anderem beim Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Cph Dox, dem San Francisco International Film Festival, Hot Docs in Kanada, dem Dok.fest München und beim Raindance Film Festival in London. „Eternal You...
Startete am 20. Juni in den deutschen Kinos: „Eternal You – Vom Ende der Endlichkeit” (Credit: Farbfilm Verleih)
Der Dokumentarfilm „Eternal You – Vom Ende der Endlichkeit“, bei dem die Beetz Brothers nach „Im Schatten der Netzwelt – The Cleaners“ wieder mit dem Duo Moritz Riesewieck und Hans Block zusammenarbeiteten, hat einen US-Verleih gefunden. Film Movement und der Streamingservice Kanopy haben sich gemeinsam die Auswertungsrechte für Nordamerika gesichert. „Eternal You“, in dem Block/Riesewieck den Wunsch der Menschen nach Unsterblichkeit hinterfragen, feierte beim Sundance Film Festival 2024 Weltpremiere (wie übrigens auch der Vorgänger) und lief anschließend unter anderem beim Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Cph Dox, dem San Francisco International Film Festival, Hot Docs in Kanada, dem Dok.fest München und beim Raindance Film Festival in London. „Eternal You...
- 7/14/2024
- by Barbara Schuster
- Spot - Media & Film
Film Movement and library streaming service Kanopy have jointly acquired North American rights to Sundance selection Eternal You.
‘Eternal You’: Sundance Review
Hans Block and Moritz Rieswieck’s documentary explores AI start-ups that connect with the dead through digital doppelgangers.
The film played Thessaloniki and San Francisco International Film Festival and was named best scientific documentary at Docville in Belgium.
Eternal You will receive a limited theatrical release in early 2025 and Kanopy will be the exclusive streaming platform.
Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg and Kanopy general manager Jason Tyrrell announced the acquisition on Friday. Dogwoof represented rights.
“As AI continues to transform our lives,...
‘Eternal You’: Sundance Review
Hans Block and Moritz Rieswieck’s documentary explores AI start-ups that connect with the dead through digital doppelgangers.
The film played Thessaloniki and San Francisco International Film Festival and was named best scientific documentary at Docville in Belgium.
Eternal You will receive a limited theatrical release in early 2025 and Kanopy will be the exclusive streaming platform.
Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg and Kanopy general manager Jason Tyrrell announced the acquisition on Friday. Dogwoof represented rights.
“As AI continues to transform our lives,...
- 7/12/2024
- ScreenDaily
Thriller prequel A Quiet Place: Day One heads the openers at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, starting in 660 cinemas through Paramount.
That figure is up on the 526 sites for 2018’s A Quiet Place, which began with £2m from 526 sites at a £3,788 site average.
It is also an increase on the 561 sites of 2021’s A Quiet Place Part II, which was one of the first major releases following the long cinema closures at the start of that year. Part II started with £2.25m at a £4,012 average, providing an impressive increase from the first title in the challenging theatrical climate.
A...
That figure is up on the 526 sites for 2018’s A Quiet Place, which began with £2m from 526 sites at a £3,788 site average.
It is also an increase on the 561 sites of 2021’s A Quiet Place Part II, which was one of the first major releases following the long cinema closures at the start of that year. Part II started with £2.25m at a £4,012 average, providing an impressive increase from the first title in the challenging theatrical climate.
A...
- 6/28/2024
- ScreenDaily
Disney’s “Inside Out 2” added a further £7.7 million ($9.8 million) in its second weekend at the U.K. and Ireland box office, remaining in pole position, according to numbers from Comscore. The smash hit sequel now has a running tally of £23.2 million.
Universal’s “The Bikeriders” debuted in second place with £1.08 million. In third position, in its third weekend, Sony’s “Bad Boys: Ride Or Die” added another £1 million to take its total to £9.06 million.
In fourth place, CinemaLive’s theatrical release of the “Doctor Who” two episode finale (“The Legend Of Ruby Sunday” and “Empire Of Death”) earned £364,353. Trafalgar Releasing’s “Ghost: Rite Here Rite Now” collected £282,961 in its second weekend in fifth position and now has a total of £477,557.
The other debut in the Top 10 was Studiocanal’s “Something in the Water,” which collected £120,341 in 10th place.
Coming up this weekend, the wide release is Warner Bros.’ anticipated...
Universal’s “The Bikeriders” debuted in second place with £1.08 million. In third position, in its third weekend, Sony’s “Bad Boys: Ride Or Die” added another £1 million to take its total to £9.06 million.
In fourth place, CinemaLive’s theatrical release of the “Doctor Who” two episode finale (“The Legend Of Ruby Sunday” and “Empire Of Death”) earned £364,353. Trafalgar Releasing’s “Ghost: Rite Here Rite Now” collected £282,961 in its second weekend in fifth position and now has a total of £477,557.
The other debut in the Top 10 was Studiocanal’s “Something in the Water,” which collected £120,341 in 10th place.
Coming up this weekend, the wide release is Warner Bros.’ anticipated...
- 6/25/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The 23rd edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival, kicked off Friday night with a sold-out screening of Dogman, the canine-focused revenge thriller by the French veteran Luc Besson, with Dogman co-star Jojo T. Gibbs in attendance.
Some 3,500 viewers backed Unirii Square in Cluj-Napoca for the start of the 11-day festival, which runs through June 24. The biggest film extravaganza in Romania, the festival is one of the premier events on the Eastern European industry calendar, with more than 200 films, exhibitions, concerts, talks and special events scheduled, and around 1,000 industry professionals expected.
Alongside Jojo T. Gibbs, most recently seen in Alex Garland’s Civil War, the TIFF guest list this year includes Italian filmmaker Daniele Luchetti (The Yes Man), who will be honored with the festival’s special award for contribution to world cinema; and Romanian film and theater legend Catrinel Dumitrescu (Aurora), who will receive the excellence award at the closing gala on June 22nd.
Some 3,500 viewers backed Unirii Square in Cluj-Napoca for the start of the 11-day festival, which runs through June 24. The biggest film extravaganza in Romania, the festival is one of the premier events on the Eastern European industry calendar, with more than 200 films, exhibitions, concerts, talks and special events scheduled, and around 1,000 industry professionals expected.
Alongside Jojo T. Gibbs, most recently seen in Alex Garland’s Civil War, the TIFF guest list this year includes Italian filmmaker Daniele Luchetti (The Yes Man), who will be honored with the festival’s special award for contribution to world cinema; and Romanian film and theater legend Catrinel Dumitrescu (Aurora), who will receive the excellence award at the closing gala on June 22nd.
- 6/15/2024
- by Stjepan Hundic
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nach seiner Deutschlandpremiere auf dem Dok.fest München Anfang Mai feierte „Eternal You – Vom Ende der Endlichkeit“ gestern Filmforum im Museum Ludwig in Köln seine Nrw-Premiere.
Bei der Nrw-Premiere von „Eternal You – Vom Ende der Endlichkeit“ (v.l.n.r.): Produzent Georg Tschurtschenthaler (beetz brothers film production), Martina Horbach (Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw), Regisseur Hans Block und Alexandre Dupont-Geisselmann (farbfilm verleih) (Credit: farbfilm verleih)
Am 2. Mai hatte „Eternal You – Vom Ende der Endlichkeit“ auf dem Dok.fest München seine Deutschlandpremiere gefeiert, gestern stand nun im Filmforum im Museum Ludwig in Köln die Nrw-Premiere an.
Unter den Gästen war auch Hans Block, der den Film zusammen mit Moritz Riesewick inszeniert hatte. In „Eternal You – Ende der Endlichkeit“ begleiten sie Start-Ups, die mithilfe Künstlicher Intelligenz digitale Avatare erschaffen, die es möglich machen, dass Menschen mit Verstorbenen Kontakt aufnehmen – und erste User dieser Technologie.
Da wäre Joshua, der Tag...
Bei der Nrw-Premiere von „Eternal You – Vom Ende der Endlichkeit“ (v.l.n.r.): Produzent Georg Tschurtschenthaler (beetz brothers film production), Martina Horbach (Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw), Regisseur Hans Block und Alexandre Dupont-Geisselmann (farbfilm verleih) (Credit: farbfilm verleih)
Am 2. Mai hatte „Eternal You – Vom Ende der Endlichkeit“ auf dem Dok.fest München seine Deutschlandpremiere gefeiert, gestern stand nun im Filmforum im Museum Ludwig in Köln die Nrw-Premiere an.
Unter den Gästen war auch Hans Block, der den Film zusammen mit Moritz Riesewick inszeniert hatte. In „Eternal You – Ende der Endlichkeit“ begleiten sie Start-Ups, die mithilfe Künstlicher Intelligenz digitale Avatare erschaffen, die es möglich machen, dass Menschen mit Verstorbenen Kontakt aufnehmen – und erste User dieser Technologie.
Da wäre Joshua, der Tag...
- 5/24/2024
- by Jochen Müller
- Spot - Media & Film
“No Other Land,” a documentary about the resistance of Palestinian activists against forced displacement and settler expansion in the West Bank community of Masafer Yatta, won the Millennium Docs Against Gravity grand prize in the main competition. The jury, comprised of the writer of this article Variety critic Murtada Elfadl, Anna Hints, director of “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” and Lauren Greenfield, director of “The Queen of Versailles,” cited its “power in crystallizing grave injustice into a story of friendship and how hope can thrive only when everyone has freedom.”
The filmmakers – the Palestinian and Israeli collective of Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor – could not attend the closing ceremony because of the political situation and the award was accepted on their behalf by the ambassador of the Palestinian Authority in Poland. The jury awarded two special mentions, citing the strength of the 12 films in competition. The first to “Sugarcane,...
The filmmakers – the Palestinian and Israeli collective of Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor – could not attend the closing ceremony because of the political situation and the award was accepted on their behalf by the ambassador of the Palestinian Authority in Poland. The jury awarded two special mentions, citing the strength of the 12 films in competition. The first to “Sugarcane,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Variety Film + TV
London’s Raindance Film Festival is making a significant calendar shift for its 32nd edition, moving from its traditional fall slot to a new summer schedule.
Raindance kicks off with the U.K. premiere of Tilman Singer’s “Cuckoo,” a horror feature starring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens that previously played at Berlin and SXSW. Closing the festival is the European premiere of “National Anthem” by Luke Gilford, starring Charlie Plummer as a construction worker joining a community of queer rodeo performers. The film, which was at Toronto and SXSW, leads into the Pride in London weekend with a wild West End party.
This year, Germany is the festival’s guest of honor. The festival will showcase new German films, including “Cuckoo,” “Eternal You” and “What You See of Me.” A dedicated shorts program and industry panels, including a session with production designer Mona Cathleen Otterbach, will highlight Germany’s cinematic achievements.
Raindance kicks off with the U.K. premiere of Tilman Singer’s “Cuckoo,” a horror feature starring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens that previously played at Berlin and SXSW. Closing the festival is the European premiere of “National Anthem” by Luke Gilford, starring Charlie Plummer as a construction worker joining a community of queer rodeo performers. The film, which was at Toronto and SXSW, leads into the Pride in London weekend with a wild West End party.
This year, Germany is the festival’s guest of honor. The festival will showcase new German films, including “Cuckoo,” “Eternal You” and “What You See of Me.” A dedicated shorts program and industry panels, including a session with production designer Mona Cathleen Otterbach, will highlight Germany’s cinematic achievements.
- 5/20/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The 32nd edition of the UK’s Raindance Film Festival is to open with horror-thriller Cuckoo, starring Hunter Schafer, as the festival shifts away from autumn to a midsummer slot, running June 19-28.
This year, 90% of the international films screening in competition are debut features. The jury includes actors Alice Englert, Claes Bang, Jared Harris and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and producers Ivana MacKinnon and Paul Sng.
Cuckoo is a German-us co-production that has played at Berlin and SXSW. Schafer plays a 17- year-old who is forced to leave her American home to live with her father and his new family as...
This year, 90% of the international films screening in competition are debut features. The jury includes actors Alice Englert, Claes Bang, Jared Harris and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and producers Ivana MacKinnon and Paul Sng.
Cuckoo is a German-us co-production that has played at Berlin and SXSW. Schafer plays a 17- year-old who is forced to leave her American home to live with her father and his new family as...
- 5/20/2024
- ScreenDaily
The 32nd edition of the UK’s Raindance Film Festival is to open with Tilman Singer’s horror-thriller Cuckoo, starring Hunter Schafer, as the festival shifts away from autumn to a midsummer slot, running June 19-28.
This year, 90% of the international films screening in competition are debut features.
The jury includes actors Alice Englert, Claes Bang, Jared Harris and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and producers Ivana MacKinnon and Paul Sng.
Opening night film Cuckoo is a German-us co-production, that has played at Berlin and SXSW. Schafer plays a 17- year-old who is forced to leave her American home to live with her...
This year, 90% of the international films screening in competition are debut features.
The jury includes actors Alice Englert, Claes Bang, Jared Harris and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and producers Ivana MacKinnon and Paul Sng.
Opening night film Cuckoo is a German-us co-production, that has played at Berlin and SXSW. Schafer plays a 17- year-old who is forced to leave her American home to live with her...
- 5/20/2024
- ScreenDaily
Transilvania International Film Festival has announced the line-up for its 23rd edition which takes place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
The 12 features in competition feature several festival favourites including Shuchi Talati’s Indian romance Girls Will Be Girls which won the Sundance audience award in world cinema – dramatic and the Arte international prize at Berlinale.
Scroll down for full line-up
Also competing is Laura Ferres’ The Permanent Picture, best film winner at Valladolid; Ernst De Geer’s The Hypnosis, which scooped Karlovy Vary jury awards in Fipresci and Europa Cinema Label; and Berlinale Forum premiere The Adamant Girl from Indian director P.S. Vinothraj.
The 12 features in competition feature several festival favourites including Shuchi Talati’s Indian romance Girls Will Be Girls which won the Sundance audience award in world cinema – dramatic and the Arte international prize at Berlinale.
Scroll down for full line-up
Also competing is Laura Ferres’ The Permanent Picture, best film winner at Valladolid; Ernst De Geer’s The Hypnosis, which scooped Karlovy Vary jury awards in Fipresci and Europa Cinema Label; and Berlinale Forum premiere The Adamant Girl from Indian director P.S. Vinothraj.
- 5/16/2024
- ScreenDaily
Italian producers Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli are entering the Mediawan fold after recently exiting Fremantle to jointly form a new independent outfit.
The two producers will both be in Cannes as executive producers with Fremantle movies premiering in the Cannes competition, Kirill Serebrennikov’s “Limonov” and Paolo Sorrentino’s “Parthenope,” respectively.
Mediawan, the production powerhouse that now comprises more than 85 labels around the world, is in the process of acquiring a 51% majority stake in Gianani and Mieli’s Rome-based Our Films company under a deal that will officially close in September, according to several sources.
Gianani and Mieli, who declined to be interviewed for this article, are still closely tied to Fremantle even after exiting their Fremantle-owned banners, Wildside and the Apartment, earlier this year. As previously announced, they have a co-production deal with Fremantle under which they will continue to shepherd a number of projects that they had in the Fremantle pipeline.
The two producers will both be in Cannes as executive producers with Fremantle movies premiering in the Cannes competition, Kirill Serebrennikov’s “Limonov” and Paolo Sorrentino’s “Parthenope,” respectively.
Mediawan, the production powerhouse that now comprises more than 85 labels around the world, is in the process of acquiring a 51% majority stake in Gianani and Mieli’s Rome-based Our Films company under a deal that will officially close in September, according to several sources.
Gianani and Mieli, who declined to be interviewed for this article, are still closely tied to Fremantle even after exiting their Fremantle-owned banners, Wildside and the Apartment, earlier this year. As previously announced, they have a co-production deal with Fremantle under which they will continue to shepherd a number of projects that they had in the Fremantle pipeline.
- 5/14/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
"We are on the verge of a new era." Dogwoof has revealed an official trailer for an indie documentary film titled Eternal You, made by filmmakers Hans Block & Moritz Riesewieck. This first premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January and also played at the Cph:dox & Thessaloniki Documentary Fests. If you had the chance to talk to a loved one who died, would you take it? Eternal You delves into the world of startups using artificial intelligence to create avatars of the deceased - a fascinating experiment of this era. Startups are trying to utilize AI to create avatars that allows to talk with their loved ones after death. The film explores the deep human desire for immortality, questioning consequences of commodifying this age-old dream. For those against A.I., this film isn't entirely positive. Sundance says: "Little is known about the effects that this kind of generative A.I.
- 4/22/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: London-based Dogwoof has locked a series of international deals on Eternal You, a documentary about AI startups set to screen at this month’s Hot Docs Fest following a debut bow at Sundance.
The doc has been picked up by Film Movement (USA), BBC Storyville (UK TV), Movistar (Spain), Canal+ (Poland), and Vertigo (Hungary). Dogwoof will release the pic theatrically in the UK and Ireland on 28 June. A release in Germany via farbfilm verleih will follow at the end of May after a premiere screening at Dok Fest Munich.
The plot of Eternal You delves into the world of startups using AI to create avatars of the deceased. Synopsis reads: Eternal You is a film about what might become one of the greatest human experiments of our time. Examining the story of people who live on as digital replicants in the pockets of their loved ones, with the help...
The doc has been picked up by Film Movement (USA), BBC Storyville (UK TV), Movistar (Spain), Canal+ (Poland), and Vertigo (Hungary). Dogwoof will release the pic theatrically in the UK and Ireland on 28 June. A release in Germany via farbfilm verleih will follow at the end of May after a premiere screening at Dok Fest Munich.
The plot of Eternal You delves into the world of startups using AI to create avatars of the deceased. Synopsis reads: Eternal You is a film about what might become one of the greatest human experiments of our time. Examining the story of people who live on as digital replicants in the pockets of their loved ones, with the help...
- 4/18/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Chris Smith’s “Devo” will open the ninth edition of Chicago’s Doc10 documentary film festival on May 2.
The film, which premiered at Sundance 2024, charts the life of the art-movement-turned-band Devo from Akron, Ohio, through archival footage of the band and candid sit-down interviews with band members. Smith follows the band on their journey from Dadaist, Kent State radicals to unlikely icons of 1980s MTV. Currently celebrating their 50 years of De-Evolution Tour, Devo band members will join Doc10 in a live, virtual Q&a moderated by Wxrt’s Marty Lennartz.
Doc10, a four-day fest running May 2-5, features a selection of 10 documentaries making their Chicago premieres along with a package of 10 prestigious documentary shorts. The fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that has generated more than $8.5 million in funding for documentary projects. Cmp has directly supported over 150 films including “Icarus,” “Crip Camp” and most recently “Gaucho, Gaucho,...
The film, which premiered at Sundance 2024, charts the life of the art-movement-turned-band Devo from Akron, Ohio, through archival footage of the band and candid sit-down interviews with band members. Smith follows the band on their journey from Dadaist, Kent State radicals to unlikely icons of 1980s MTV. Currently celebrating their 50 years of De-Evolution Tour, Devo band members will join Doc10 in a live, virtual Q&a moderated by Wxrt’s Marty Lennartz.
Doc10, a four-day fest running May 2-5, features a selection of 10 documentaries making their Chicago premieres along with a package of 10 prestigious documentary shorts. The fest is hosted by Chicago Media Project, a company that has generated more than $8.5 million in funding for documentary projects. Cmp has directly supported over 150 films including “Icarus,” “Crip Camp” and most recently “Gaucho, Gaucho,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck’s documentary “Eternal You” is set to be theatrical released by Dogwoof in the U.K. and Farbfilm in Germany.
The buzzed-about documentary explores ways that AI is being used by help people cope with grief, allowing them to interact with avatars of their deceased loved ones. Dogwoof, which is repping worldwide sales, is negotiating a U.S. deal and sales in other territories. “Eternal You” is now premiering at Cph:dox in Denmark.
Block and Riesewieck also examine the moral and emotional ramifications of this segment of the digital afterlife industry, as well as the ethics of startup companies which are using AI to create digital replicas of the dead.
“Eternal You” is produced by Davis Guggenheim’s Concordia Studio, Julie Goldman and Chris Clements’ Motto Pictures, Christian Beetz and Georg Tschurtschenthaler’s Beetz Brothers, as well as Jenny Raskin’s Impact Partners.
The buzzed-about documentary explores ways that AI is being used by help people cope with grief, allowing them to interact with avatars of their deceased loved ones. Dogwoof, which is repping worldwide sales, is negotiating a U.S. deal and sales in other territories. “Eternal You” is now premiering at Cph:dox in Denmark.
Block and Riesewieck also examine the moral and emotional ramifications of this segment of the digital afterlife industry, as well as the ethics of startup companies which are using AI to create digital replicas of the dead.
“Eternal You” is produced by Davis Guggenheim’s Concordia Studio, Julie Goldman and Chris Clements’ Motto Pictures, Christian Beetz and Georg Tschurtschenthaler’s Beetz Brothers, as well as Jenny Raskin’s Impact Partners.
- 3/18/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The modern world is increasingly paying attention to the implications of artificial intelligence tools like Chat Gpt are for the world of work. But Eternal You, the latest documentary from Moritz Riesewieck and Hans Block, scrutinises the burgeoning industry growing up around death and grieving, which sees tech companies attempting to put the ghosts of deceased loved ones inside their machines. In its simplest form, this technology is present as chatbots, called “thanobots”, which use dead loved ones’ online history as a springboard for AI to conduct conversations after death. Eternal You also dives into more complex forms of AI, including a mother who was given a chance to “meet” her dead daughter in virtual reality for a TV show. We caught up with the directors after the film’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival...
- 2/1/2024
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Sundance Film Festival 2024 brought two fascinating projects surrounding the concept of artificial intelligence.
The first is an ambitious love story set at the end of the world involving two unlikely machines.
The second is a documentary called Eternal You, which examines the merits of bringing dead people back to life using AI.
Both films are captivating for different reasons, and each has something compelling to say about “artificiality.”
Not to mention, one of these might end up being our favorite from Sundance 2024.
Here are our reviews of Love Me and Eternal You from the Sundance Film Festival.
Love Me
Love Me is a film critic’s catnip. There are robots, humor, romance, a dystopia, and a narrative with layers of themes and ideas to decipher.
The film, directed by Sam & Andy Zuchero, is an audacious feature film debut, taking a simplistic concept and making it feel as vast as the movie’s billion-year timeline.
The first is an ambitious love story set at the end of the world involving two unlikely machines.
The second is a documentary called Eternal You, which examines the merits of bringing dead people back to life using AI.
Both films are captivating for different reasons, and each has something compelling to say about “artificiality.”
Not to mention, one of these might end up being our favorite from Sundance 2024.
Here are our reviews of Love Me and Eternal You from the Sundance Film Festival.
Love Me
Love Me is a film critic’s catnip. There are robots, humor, romance, a dystopia, and a narrative with layers of themes and ideas to decipher.
The film, directed by Sam & Andy Zuchero, is an audacious feature film debut, taking a simplistic concept and making it feel as vast as the movie’s billion-year timeline.
- 1/28/2024
- by John Dotson
- Monsters and Critics
By now, it should be evident that each passing year brings with it advancements in technology, landing anywhere on an imaginary graph containing the likes of the latest smartphone to a car that can brew a mean cup of coffee. One area that’s been hovering over the whole of humanity for far longer than a need for a house that dictates a grocery list is that of the afterlife; pondering what happens after each and every one of us shuffle off this mortal coil remains, quite possibly, an everlastingly unanswerable question, but for those left behind in the wake of a loved one’s passing, a more pressing matter would be the manner in which one deals with said loss, and how best to move on.
Continue reading ‘Eternal You’ Review: An Eye-Opening Look At AI Resurrecting The Dead [Sundance] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Eternal You’ Review: An Eye-Opening Look At AI Resurrecting The Dead [Sundance] at The Playlist.
- 1/27/2024
- by Brian Farvour
- The Playlist
The 40th edition of Sundance proved that despite corporate consolidation, there is still a market for independently made documentaries. While there haven’t been many sales so far, there has been strong buyer interest in two celeb-focused docs — “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” and “Will & Harper,” featuring Will Ferrell — and healthy interest in others.
“The market didn’t have a pulse six months ago,” says Submarine Entertainment sales agent Josh Braun, who came to the festival with nine documentaries seeking distribution, including “Daughters,” “Gaucho Gaucho” and “Union.” “So there was a reason to be a little bit fearful coming into Sundance. But now we are feeling a pulse. We are heading in a good direction. The patient still needs some treatment, but we are no longer in a Doa situation.”
While Submarine has not yet closed deals for any of the titles, Braun is optimistic, given the fact a...
“The market didn’t have a pulse six months ago,” says Submarine Entertainment sales agent Josh Braun, who came to the festival with nine documentaries seeking distribution, including “Daughters,” “Gaucho Gaucho” and “Union.” “So there was a reason to be a little bit fearful coming into Sundance. But now we are feeling a pulse. We are heading in a good direction. The patient still needs some treatment, but we are no longer in a Doa situation.”
While Submarine has not yet closed deals for any of the titles, Braun is optimistic, given the fact a...
- 1/27/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Eternal You, a new documentary premiering at Sundance about the nauseating new world of digital afterlife technology, opens on a woman, Christi Angel, staring into a computer screen. She’s messaging with a dead loved one and tears are streaming down her face.
“This experience… It was creepy,” she says. “There were things that scared me. And a lot of stuff I didn’t want to hear [and] I wasn’t prepared to hear.”
We soon learn that Angel — quite the name, given this otherworldly endeavor — is a New Yorker who...
“This experience… It was creepy,” she says. “There were things that scared me. And a lot of stuff I didn’t want to hear [and] I wasn’t prepared to hear.”
We soon learn that Angel — quite the name, given this otherworldly endeavor — is a New Yorker who...
- 1/21/2024
- by Marlow Stern
- Rollingstone.com
One of the stranger developments to emerge since the debut of ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) is the sudden rise of the digital afterlife industry, which promises consumers the opportunity to talk and interact with A.I.-rendered avatars of their deceased loved ones via text, audio, or VR. At the start of Eternal You, it seems as if the documentary may be all in on the utopian vision of the numerous tech bros currently marketing this technology. Directors Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck, though, soon peer beneath the sunny surface of good intentions claimed by the A.I. industry to reveal the moral, emotional, and psychological effects that have emerged and are still emerging from products like these.
Eternal You presents a nuanced portrait of how generative A.I. technology is being employed and how it’s already begun to impact the mental health of people who’ve used it,...
Eternal You presents a nuanced portrait of how generative A.I. technology is being employed and how it’s already begun to impact the mental health of people who’ve used it,...
- 1/21/2024
- by Derek Smith
- Slant Magazine
The prospect of creating personal AI avatars to comfort loved ones after death is the premise of Eternal You, a film by co-directors Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. Below, co-editors Anne Juenemann and Lisa Zoe Geretschläger discuss how they divvied up the workload while being based between Berlin and Vienna, with Block and Riesewieck also splitting their time between the two cities. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor questionnaire here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What […]
The post “Bringing Different Stories Together To Create an Exciting Narrative”: Editors Anne Juenemann and Lisa Zoe Geretschläger on Eternal You first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Bringing Different Stories Together To Create an Exciting Narrative”: Editors Anne Juenemann and Lisa Zoe Geretschläger on Eternal You first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/20/2024
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
The prospect of creating personal AI avatars to comfort loved ones after death is the premise of Eternal You, a film by co-directors Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. Below, co-editors Anne Juenemann and Lisa Zoe Geretschläger discuss how they divvied up the workload while being based between Berlin and Vienna, with Block and Riesewieck also splitting their time between the two cities. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor questionnaire here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What […]
The post “Bringing Different Stories Together To Create an Exciting Narrative”: Editors Anne Juenemann and Lisa Zoe Geretschläger on Eternal You first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “Bringing Different Stories Together To Create an Exciting Narrative”: Editors Anne Juenemann and Lisa Zoe Geretschläger on Eternal You first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/20/2024
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck’s documentary “Eternal You,” which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the world cinema doc competition section on Saturday, explores ways that artificial intelligence is being used to comfort the bereaved.
The doc follows people from around the globe who are using AI to to create avatars of the deceased people to allow their loved ones to interact with them. The 87-minute film features one subject who chats with the digital clone of his deceased first love and lets her take part in his everyday life. Another subject meets the VR clone of her deceased seven year-old daughter.
Block and Riesewieck, whose debut film, “The Cleaners,” made its world premiere at Sundance in 2018, also explore the moral responsibility of the startup companies that are using AI to create digital replicas of the dead.
“Moritz and I discovered a void that hundreds of millions people feel,...
The doc follows people from around the globe who are using AI to to create avatars of the deceased people to allow their loved ones to interact with them. The 87-minute film features one subject who chats with the digital clone of his deceased first love and lets her take part in his everyday life. Another subject meets the VR clone of her deceased seven year-old daughter.
Block and Riesewieck, whose debut film, “The Cleaners,” made its world premiere at Sundance in 2018, also explore the moral responsibility of the startup companies that are using AI to create digital replicas of the dead.
“Moritz and I discovered a void that hundreds of millions people feel,...
- 1/18/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Germany’s Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion is gearing up for Sundance Film Festival by changing its corporate identity to Beetz Brothers Film Production, and unveiling new projects on Boney M and the Titan Disaster as part of an international push.
The Leonine Studios-owned producer’s new name reflects the relationship of its co-founders, brothers Christian and Reinhardt Beetz, and comes as the company lines up a series of new projects that form part of its push into international premium docs. It also comes ahead of Beetz Brothers’ latest doc, Eternal You, competing in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at Sundance in Utah, as announced earlier this week.
Christian Beetz told Deadline the company will is also co-developing a feature-length doc about the Germany cult music group Boney M alongside the Twilight saga producer Temple Hill. Beetz Brothers senior producer Kerstin Meyer-Beetz is developing the project alongside Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen,...
The Leonine Studios-owned producer’s new name reflects the relationship of its co-founders, brothers Christian and Reinhardt Beetz, and comes as the company lines up a series of new projects that form part of its push into international premium docs. It also comes ahead of Beetz Brothers’ latest doc, Eternal You, competing in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at Sundance in Utah, as announced earlier this week.
Christian Beetz told Deadline the company will is also co-developing a feature-length doc about the Germany cult music group Boney M alongside the Twilight saga producer Temple Hill. Beetz Brothers senior producer Kerstin Meyer-Beetz is developing the project alongside Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen,...
- 1/12/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
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