AI Entry In Filmmaking Industry: Will It Change The Future Of Cinema?

As part of the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), NFDC, in collaboration with LTIMindtree, unveils India’s first–ever AI Film Festival – a platform that celebrates the fusion of artificial intelligence and cinematic creativity. This pioneering initiative invites filmmakers and festivals from across the globe to submit award winning and acclaimed AI-generated short films that redefine storytelling, visual design and narrative innovation.

Curated within the setting of IFFI 2025 in Goa, the festival will showcase a diverse selection of works that push the boundaries of traditional cinema, offering audiences a glimpse into the future of filmmaking powered by AI. How do Goan filmmakers, actors, photographers and IT persons look at this?

“As a new generation of Goan filmmakers, we see AI as a helpful partner in our creative work,” says writer-director Kishor Arjun, adding, “For writers, it can give new ideas, help shape scripts, and create quick drafts so we can focus more on the emotions and the heart of the story. In art and design, AI tools can help us make concept sketches, mood boards and early visuals, which is a big support for small teams working with limited budgets.”

He feels that pre-visualisation, shot planning and virtual location scouting will become easier and cheaper, making the entire process faster. “Even in post-production, sound, colour, VFX, subtitles, AI can save time and make things more accessible to young filmmakers,” says Kishor who as the vice president of Goa AVCG-XR, assures, “We believe AI will open doors for everyone. It won’t replace human creativity; it will support it. For Goan cinema, this is a chance to grow, experiment and tell our own stories with more confidence and better tools.”

For photographer Chandan Damu Naik Gaonkar, AI is a tool which can make or mar the image, content etc. According to him it is always better to recheck before the final post. “As a photographer I hardly use AI, but for minor corrections of grammar, titles etc I use it. AI is like using filters, which we use in phones too. Now it has an official name as AI,” adds Chandan. For Kishor Arjun, AI is not only about visuals only. There are so many aspects and in film making we can explore these,” he feels.

“AI is meant to facilitate and enhance human functionality, not to replace it or contort it,” states veteran actor Dr Meenacshi Martins. “AI is used in films for writing as far as I know and for management. It helps. It cannot replace performance. Unless used as an emergency when an actor dies and needs the scenes to be completed,” she adds.

Other than being an actor, Dr Meenacshi who is also a practicing psychiatrist feels AI is a great tool and increases functionality and quality. “But it can never replace performance by an actor. It can replace techniques and a lot of other things too – research, storyboarding, designing sets, costumes etc, but not acting,” she asserts. However, what she finds very disturbing in AI usage is the use of likeness to create fake videos/ reels and films – mostly for black market or the dark web. Recently some celebrities did approach Court to stop AI generated videos using their likeness (looks).

Most of us have been using VFX and CGI computer generated imaging) for more than a decade and a half now. The green screen is used practically on a daily basis and is taken for granted. That is AI too. Creating characters in animated movies, most popular avatars or dozens of serials using new technology is common. All this is relatable and so far is pushing the boundaries of realism in the media.

The AI Film Festival will culminate in a prestigious awards ceremony honouring the most ground breaking and impactful AI-generated films. Running parallel to the CinemaAI Hackathon, this creative showcase highlights the artistry and ethical imagination of global creators using AI as a co-creator. Through this initiative, LTIMindtree, NFDC and IFFI, aim to position India as a global epicenter for AI-driven cinematic expression, inviting the world to witness, participate, and shape the next frontier of visual storytelling.

Writer and producer Purnima Desai feels that AI is useful in filmmaking by streamlining various stages of production, from script development and casting to editing and visual effects, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing costs. It provides tools for script analysis, casting assistance, visual effects, automated editing, sound design, and even generating entirely new creative assets. It will be time saving…also enable new creative possibilities such as generating scripts, creating visual effects, and generating camera angles after shooting. It will help in post-production too by quickly removing unwanted objects. It will be beneficial to reach out to the masses at the same time it will be impacting on originality.

The other aspects of AI according to Purnima are reducing manpower, which will affectj jobs. “The fear of losing filmmaking adjacent jobs and leaving no scope for creativity still looms. Talents will be at limitations, and cinema needs human vision and real images. Using AI to enhance footage is helpful but fully AI generated films will lack depth and emotional resonance. It will definitely end the charm,” suspects the writer-producer.