Gaspar Noé finds new way to shock, joins AI festival jury

Unfortunately for anyone frustrated by Noé’s endorsement, the festival itself is a bit of a runaway train. The event has grown exponentially since its inception in 2023, receiving 300 submissions for that first year and 3,000 for the second. The third annual festival, scheduled for June of this year, will hold events in both New York and Los Angeles. Other notable jury members include Tribeca Enterprises CEO Jane Rosenthal, IMAX Head of Post and Image Capture Bruce Markoe, and Lionsgate Senior Vice President of Visual Effects Brianna Domont. They’ll be doling out prizes of up to $15,000 plus one million “Runway credits,” a kind of internal currency for the program, per the festival’s website.  

“Gaspar’s work is legendary, and having him join the AIFF jury is an honor,” Runway Studios Head of Creative, Jamie Umpherson, added in his own statement. “At Runway, we’re constantly pushing the boundaries of storytelling and creativity, something Gaspar has always done with his films. His eye for talent and embrace of new technologies fits perfectly with AIFF’s ethos.”

Then again, Noé is always looking for ways to push his own boundaries, including one day making “a movie with young children, or a movie for children.” As he told a crowd at the Cairo film festival last year, “When we are kids, we are in danger. You are exposed to everything. I’m very attached to kids in life though I don’t have kids. The relationship you have with kids is direct and playful. I would like to do a movie with little kids. They relate to fragility, they relate to the dangers that they’re exposed to.” Maybe this little AI diversion is for the best, actually.