A collection of AI-generated short films drawn from erotic magazine photo spreads published 50 years ago has made its debut on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival.

AI-Powered Revival

The project was developed by Thomas Meier of Norwegian company Multiformat, who used generative AI tools to transform 1976 magazine photo spreads into full motion video with color, synchronized sound, dialogue and voice-over. A physical release on BluRay and VHS will follow from Klubb Super 8.

The films are now streaming on Cultpix, a B-movie streaming service that has marketed itself as the largest cult and genre streaming website in the world. The platform has maintained a curated strand of vintage erotica, including collaborations with specialist rights holders such as Something Weird Video.

Background and Context

The project is an interesting experiment in film history and technology, bringing 1976 erotic photo series to life using the latest generative AI tools. The films are inspired by erotic magazine photo spreads from half a century ago, which were considered shocking 'adult' material at the time but now seem remarkably innocent by today's standards.

Cultpix co-founder and CEO Rickard Gramfors has stated that the goal of the project is to stimulate a discussion about attitudes to images that are now half a century old. "We want to use the latest technology to stimulate a discussion about attitudes to images that are now half a century old," he said.

Technical Details

The technical solutions for the films were developed by Thomas Meier of Multiformat, who used generative AI tools to add color, synchronized sound, dialogue and voice-over to the archival stills. The project is an example of a recurring technical challenge in the industry: maintaining temporal coherence across frames.

Key Facts

  • The collection of AI-generated short films was developed by Thomas Meier of Norwegian company Multiformat.
  • The films are inspired by erotic magazine photo spreads from 1976, which were considered shocking 'adult' material at the time but now seem remarkably innocent by today's standards.
  • A physical release on BluRay and VHS will follow from Klubb Super 8.
  • Cultpix is a B-movie streaming service that has marketed itself as the largest cult and genre streaming website in the world.