The AI film Post Truth has won Best Art Feature Film at the 42nd Asolo Art Film Festival (Italy). Sydney-based sales outfit Odin’s Eye Entertainment claims that this is the first time an AI-generated feature has been awarded in a juried competition at an established international film festival.
The English-language Turkish documentary had its international premiere at the Warsaw Film Festival, received the Audience Award at FrontDoc, landed a main competition slot at Fantasporto, and recently scored two nominations for Best Editing and Best Music at the 58th Turkish Film Critics Association Awards.
With an original script that took two years to complete, the film examines humanity’s rapidly evolving relationship with technology, questioning not only what we see, but what we choose to believe. The final film was shaped from more than 60 hours of AI-generated footage, with its images, music, and sound created through artificial intelligence by Avcıoğlu, an internationally exhibited artist and one of the leading figures of the photographic AI scene.
Post Truth was also selected for such film fests as the 66th Festival dei Popoli and the 62nd Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival (Turkey). “At a time when the role of AI in cinema is still surrounded by controversy, Post Truth continues to distinguish itself as a rare AI-generated feature to receive rave reviews and be embraced across festivals, critics, and the industry,” says Odin’s Eye Entertainment founder and CEO Michael Favelle.
Accepting the award in Asolo, the Turkish director Alkan Avcıoğlu quoted John Cage, saying: “I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”
In its official statement, the Asolo jury, with Italian director Federico Greco serving as jury president, said: “Through its extraordinary ability to merge form and content, the film turns the technological tool into the message itself. This pioneering work does not merely describe post-truth; it performs it, redefining the very concept of documentary.”
Adds Odin’s Eye boss Favelle: “This recognition confirms what we felt from the beginning: Post Truth is a captivating, category-defying cinematic event from a genuinely visionary artist…The process should not define the work; what endures is the artist’s vision and the message behind it. Post Truth has stood apart by being judged as cinema, with a clear artistic position. We are receiving festival invitations from very different parts of the world, and the momentum around the film keeps growing.”
Odin’s Eye Entertainment acquired international sales rights to the film ahead of the European Film Market this year. The film continues its festival journey in July with its Asian premiere at the 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea, followed by the 29th Revelation Perth International Film Festival in Australia, with further international festival announcements set for the fall.
A former film critic who also worked in film acquisitions for over a decade, director Alkan Avcıoğlu shifted careers in 2022 to focus on filmmaking with artificial intelligence. “He has since emerged as one of the first AI artists to gain recognition within the traditional art world, with works auctioned by Christie’s and exhibited at major international art fairs including Paris Photo, Art Basel Miami, Zona Maco, and Vogue Photo,” says Odin’s Eye.
“Post Truth brings Avcıoğlu’s mind bending visual style and body of AI work into cinema, while drawing inspiration from Godfrey Reggio and Adam Curtis,” the company adds. “Avcıoğlu used his own visual art and own music to customize the AI models behind the film, bringing his established artistic language into cinema. The film’s acclaimed original soundtrack has been released by Tamar Records across vinyl, CD, and digital formats”
“The Best Art Feature Film award at Asolo marks another milestone for the film, which has been widely cited as the first theatrically released AI-generated feature in history. Released in Turkey by specialty distributor Başka Sinema, Post Truth quickly became one of the year’s most talked-about titles in its home country.”
