Darren Aronofsky’s AI-Driven Studio Primordial Soup Inks Google DeepMind Partnership, First Film Project to Premiere at Tribeca Festival

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Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky has introduced Primordial Soup, a fresh endeavor designed to provide filmmakers with innovative AI-driven creative resources.

In a collaborative effort, Primordial Soup has teamed up with Google DeepMind’s AI research group. This alliance involves working alongside three filmmakers to produce short movies. Through this partnership, Google DeepMind is offering early access to their advanced generative-AI video tools. On the other hand, these filmmakers will offer valuable feedback on the new AI tools, which Google DeepMind can use to guide their development and improvement.

The initial project from Primordial Soup is titled “Ancestra,” created by Eliza McNitt. It combines real-life performances with AI visuals and is set to debut next month at the Tribeca Festival. Meanwhile, two more films by Primordial Soup are currently in production, with further information about them yet to be announced. However, they will both employ novel implementations of Veo, Google DeepMind’s video-generating technology.

Aronofsky explained that his goal with the company is to make AI useful as a creative resource for filmmakers, not as a substitute for traditional movie making. As a director, he’s known for movies like “Pi,” “Requiem for a Dream,” and “mother!”. More recently, he innovated by using an 18K camera rig for “Postcard From Earth,” which debuted at Las Vegas’ Sphere in 2023.

Aronofsky stated that technology has always played a pivotal role in filmmaking. Starting with the Lumiere brothers and Edison’s revolutionary invention, cameras were discovered to hold untapped potential for storytelling. Subsequent technological advancements such as sound, color, and visual effects enabled us to narrate tales in ways that were previously impossible. The present is no exception; it presents an opportunity to experiment with these new tools and mold them for the future of storytelling.

The news was part of a string of AI-focused declarations that were unveiled on Tuesday during the commencement of the Google I/O developers’ meeting, one of which was the introduction of real-time speech translation into Google Meet video conferences.

Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind, expressed that Primordial Soup’s adventurous and innovative approach towards technology fits them ideally as partners to collaborate on ushering in a considerate new epoch of AI-enhanced storytelling.

For additional details regarding the concept of Primordial Soup, as mentioned by Aronofsky in his director’s statement for the horror film “mother!”, you can find it here.

In a situation where childbirth turns critical, a mother’s love transforms into an otherworldly power to rescue her daughter.” The premiere of “Ancestra” is scheduled for June 13, 2025, at the Tribeca Festival. This will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers, led by Aronofsky.

McNitt’s projects have featured “Spheres,” a pioneering virtual reality (VR) production, overseen by director Darren Aronofsky and starring Millie Bobby Brown, Jessica Chastain, and Patti Smith as the cosmos’ diverse voices across generations. This project marked the first VR acquisition from Sundance Film Festival in 2018.

As a dedicated cinephile, I can’t help but express my awe over ‘Ancestra.’ It managed to bring the unseen world to life, masterfully blending family archives, raw emotions, and scientific exploration into a captivating cinematic journey that is both intimately personal and expansively immersive.

As per Primordial Soup, McNitt’s film combines acting performances by SAG-AFTRA actors and professional film crew work with computer-generated images, portraying various cosmic occurrences and microscopic realms. The AI-created aspects of the film were influenced by McNitt’s personal life story, featuring a newborn character based on her baby photos and a visual aesthetic inspired by photographs taken by her deceased father.

In creating “Ancestra”, traditional artists such as animators, VFX specialists, concept artists, and storyboard artists worked closely with Google DeepMind researchers. They explained that by training models using original concept art and hand-drawn storyboards, this collaborative process maintains the emotional consistency and artistic authenticity. This ethical AI implementation is designed to respect the filmmaker’s vision.

Watch the teaser trailer for “Ancestra”:

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2025-05-20 20:46