Michael Keaton Douglas: “The whole AI of it all was interesting to me, and then it got more interesting as we discussed things throughout filming… It’s not at all science fiction anymore. The one thing I wanted to do, and I think we did, was say, okay, but how does that apply to human emotion? Humans are still more complex.”
Sean Douglas: “Looking back, it kind of came from a more personal place than I realized when I started… I always kind of knew it was evoking certain things about my mom, who passed away a long time ago. But I didn’t really put it together until I finished the first draft of it.”
“The best thing about this was, this short film is the first thing that we’ve really worked together on, and it was a really nice experience. I had this idea knocking around, and I had a hard time green-lighting myself to go and finish things. And here’s a reason [AI on Screen program] to go and finish writing this. And so I did that.”
As AI moves out of science fiction and into our everyday lives, narrative films present a powerful opportunity to explore and showcase how we want to coexist with this technology. Film can not only shape our popular imagination, it can also spark important societal conversations, such as those around the growing trend of generative ghosts—the digital preservation of our loved ones—a concept central to this short film.
As “Sweetwater” now prepares for a film festival run, we’re more committed than ever to the AI on Screen initiative and our goal of supporting a diverse range of voices exploring this pivotal moment in technology and storytelling. Stay tuned for more updates on “Sweetwater” and our second commissioned film, “Lucid,” coming soon.
