THE WORLD'S FIRST ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DOCUMENTARY “POST TRUTH” WAS AT THE GOLDEN ORANGE

Alkan Avcıoğlu's documentary “Post Truth,” created entirely with artificial intelligence tools and the first of its kind in the world, premiered at the Golden Orange Film Festival.

The 62nd International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival hosted two documentaries on Monday, October 27, at the Perge Hall of the Atatürk Cultural Centre (AKM). One of these was “Post Truth,” directed by Alkan Avcıoğlu, which was the first film in the world to be created entirely with artificial intelligence.

The film, which addresses the increasingly chaotic relationship between technology and humans and the unstoppable rise of information overload, had its world premiere at the Warsaw Film Festival.

Answering questions from the audience after the screening, Avcıoğlu said he had been interested in artificial intelligence for a long time and had been working on art projects with it. He explained how the idea of making a documentary with artificial intelligence came about as follows:

"While working with these tools for years, I thought: Artificial intelligence produces soulless images,” they say. Our era is becoming quite soulless; that makes it perfect for documentaries. Or ‘our era is becoming artificial’. That also makes it perfect for documentaries. I came out as the village idiot who said it might be nice to stretch the boundaries of documentaries. I still haven't heard of a documentary project using artificial intelligence; everything done so far has been fictional.

I can say that I, like the rest of the world, have been tossed about in the field of artificial intelligence. I can say that I have been overwhelmed by a subjective paradigm that is only considered real within our own echo chambers, both on social media and as that technology advances. We live under an information bombardment. The film itself is a mirror at this point; it pushes the boundaries between fake and real while also serving as an information bombardment. It tries to leave no room for thought."

Avcıoğlu stated that he used many different artificial intelligence tools for the film, but did not want to mention their names specifically: "Some of those companies even called me and offered money, saying, ‘Mention our name in interviews.’ All I can say is that I use more tools than most artists who work with artificial intelligence. I would call my approach eclectic. I don't want to be reduced to a single tool, nor do I want to be a slave to that tool. I have this advantage: I've been using almost all of them from the beginning. Since I know the type of each, some are good for close-up face shots, some for moving cameras, and some for creating distorted human forms, I tried to use each one's unique advantages. As you can see in the film, I love this raw imperfection of AI more than creating a flawless image. Because I think it reflects this exaggerated era very well.”

The artist stated that he approached developments in artificial intelligence with contrary logic: "Undoubtedly, this technology will produce much more realistic images and will probably reach a point where even I won't be able to tell the difference. But I think it will be more useful for commercial cinema or advertising production. I believe that artistic language will feed very well off this broken form. Brian Eno has a saying: Once technology becomes flawless, we look back and turn its imperfect periods into a signature. For example, the primitive 8-bit sounds of early computer games are widely used in electronic music today. Analogue film had a grainy, snowy image; in post-production, we try to add that effect to achieve that look. In my opinion, even if artificial intelligence becomes flawless in 10 years, perhaps artistic expression lies in this imperfect form."

A question from the audience concerned the documentary's perspective: “You mentioned a vicious cycle, but the documentary actually suggests that nothing can be done about it. Did you make it just to describe this vicious cycle?” Avcıoğlu responded as follows:

"That's a good question. We are dependent on technology, but as the documentary also states, the problem is not actually with technology or the bad guys who run technology companies. At some point, we become mechanised in our minds. If we stop the mechanisation in our minds, we can break the vicious cycle. The documentary doesn't present this as an obvious solution because these aren't things that can be implemented in the very short term. Breaking out of the cycle completely requires significant effort. In the long term, humanity may get there, but in the short term, it seems we will continue to struggle, stuck in the vicious cycle. But in my opinion, the way out lies in distancing our own minds and mental modes from mechanisation."

"I want to make a documentary about Attila İlhan, but it's emotionally difficult."

Director Biket İlhan's documentary “I Passed Through the Boulevard of Mists: Biket İlhan,” which covers her career from her entry into cinema to the present day, drew great interest from the audience at the AKM Perge Hall. Following the documentary, which bears the signature of director and musician Mehmet Güreli, director Biket İlhan and her daughter, musician-director Nihan Belgin, answered questions from the audience.

The film began with an adaptation of the works of the great poet and writer Attila İlhan, who was also married to İlhan for a time. The first question to İlhan was about Attila İlhan's support for her. İlhan answered this question as follows: "He believed in me very much, trusted me very much. This was very important to me. It's very important to you, too, but he occupies a different place in my life. We shared a life, and within that life, there was someone who trusted me by my side. That alone was enough for me, I can say."

İlhan's answer to the question of whether she was considering making a documentary about Attila İlhan was a continuation of what she had already said. İlhan said, “I'm always asked this; I hope to try to do it. I want to, but because of the place he holds in my life and what he meant to me, I find it a little difficult emotionally.”

A question directed at Nihan Belgin and her response were also emotional. When asked, “How does it feel to be present with your voice in a work that tells your mother's life story?” Belgin replied: "I didn't really feel the emotion while recording the voice, but now I've watched a large part of my own life on screen. Because I was also part of those projects. I felt proud, I saw photos of myself that I had never seen before. Walking the same path is also very pride-inducing for me."

Biket İlhan offered the following advice to young people interested in cinema: "I recommend reading. You may not be an artist, but you may be curious about art; for that, you should read. Start with the classics. I also teach acting, and I want to tell you what I tell my students. There is no continuity in our work, especially in acting; projects may or may not come. So don't give up acting, but also produce your own projects, for example."