AI-led Cinema Gains Ground in Spain as Hollywood Engages in Soul-Searching Debate
In the world of cinema, Spain and the European Union are leading the charge in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into filmmaking. This transformative phase is enabling innovation in filmmaking styles, narratives, and technical processes.
Kevin Baillie, the VFX supervisor of the film "Here," directed by Robert Zemeckis, praised Magnific, an AI-powered tool that helped them focus more on creativity and less on details. In "Here," real-time face swap models were used during filming, allowing actors and crew to see de-aged versions immediately on set. Magnific was used to enhance over 20 scenes in the film.
Hollywood is not left behind in this AI revolution. "Here" is one of the mainstream productions that have begun incorporating Spanish AI technologies.
The use of AI is not limited to visual effects. The short video for "Telediario," an experimental news show set in the year 2088, was created using AI by the Human XR Lab at the Universidad del Atlántico Medio. Spain's television sector is also exploring the use of AI, including generative AI for text and charts, and AI tools for cataloguing historical archives.
One of the most anticipated AI-driven films is "The Great Reset," a sci-fi thriller about an AI from a renegade hacker's mind planning to destroy humanity. The film uses AI for image synthesis, animation, and post-production. AI allowed the creators to simulate complex decisions and experiment without budgetary risk.
"The Great Reset" is produced by Virtual World Pictures, Canary Film Factory, and EPC Media and is set to debut at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival, marking Spain's debut of its first fully AI-generated feature film.
Spain has approved a draft law to regulate AI, aligning with the European Union's AI Act. The Spanish law focuses on ethical, inclusive, and beneficial use, including strict labeling requirements for AI-generated content. Mislabeling AI content could result in penalties up to €35 million (US$39.3 million).
AI is also reshaping film archives and restoration practices within the EU. At the 2025 FIAF Congress, it was discussed how AI facilitates transcription, classification, and restoration of audiovisual content, helping archives manage vast datasets more efficiently—a development critical for preserving cinematic heritage in an AI-enhanced future.
Events such as Spain’s Reply AI Film Festival showcase how AI-driven tools enable novel storytelling, new genres, and emotionally resonant narratives, signaling a coming expansion of AI’s role in creative production. These celebrations combine film screenings with debates on AI’s role in cinema, fostering discourse around ethical and creative challenges.
In conclusion, Spain and the EU are at the forefront of a transformative phase wherein AI enables innovation in filmmaking styles, narratives, and technical processes. This trajectory suggests that AI will become deeply embedded in both the creative and preservation aspects of cinema, raising new artistic possibilities as well as ethical discussions about AI’s societal influence, particularly highlighted in the Spanish context.
- The Eth-powered AI tool, Magnific, employed in the film "Here," demonstrates how AI can enable filmmakers to focus on creativity rather than details, highlighting its potential impact on future movie production.
- In the European Union, the AI-generated short video for "Telediario" underscores the extensive application of AI, not only in visual effects but also in creating and cataloguing historical archives, signifying a broader shift in entertainment production.
- The upcoming sci-fi thriller, "The Great Reset," produced in Spain, utilizes AI for image synthesis, animation, and post-production, showcasing how AI can simulate complex decisions and facilitate experimental filmmaking, revolutionizing the industry.
