AI-generated documentary ‘Post Truth’ debuts at Warsaw Film Festival

Alkan Avcıoğlu’s “Post Truth,” the world’s first fully AI-generated feature-length documentary, is making its international debut at the Warsaw Film Festival in October following a successful theatrical release across Turkey this summer.

The 102-minute English-language documentary was created entirely through artificial intelligence, including all visuals, sound, music and voiceovers, exploring humanity’s relationship with technology in an era where truth and reality no longer matter.

Avcıoğlu spent 15 months developing the film using approximately 15 different AI tools, generating over 55 hours of content from his background as a former film critic turned AI visual artist whose works have been exhibited at major art fairs and auctioned at Christie’s.

The film opened across 58 locations in Turkey on July 11, receiving positive reviews from local critics and marking an ambitious rollout for what producers call one of the year’s most talked-about experimental projects.

Turkish distributor Başka Sinema is now in discussions with international sales agents for global distribution, as the documentary’s success sets a potential precedent for future AI-generated films seeking traditional theatrical distribution channels.

The groundbreaking AI-generated feature-length documentary “Post Truth” is making its international debut at the Warsaw Film Festival this October, following a successful theatrical release across Turkey this summer. Directed by generative AI artist Alkan Avcıoğlu, this English-language film represents a historic milestone as the first fully AI-generated documentary to secure theatrical distribution.turkiyetoday

Avcıoğlu created “Post Truth” entirely through artificial intelligence, including all visuals, sound, music and voiceovers. The 102-minute documentary explores humanity’s relationship with technology and examines how society has arrived at an era where truth and reality no longer matter. Co-written with multidisciplinary artist Vikki Bardot, the film draws inspiration from the cinematic vision of Godfrey Reggio and references filmmakers such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Jean-Luc Godard and Leos Carax.globenewswire

A Milestone in Cinematic History

According to Variety, Turkish arthouse distributor Başka Sinema released “Post Truth” in approximately 20 cities across Turkey in June, where it received positive reviews from local critics. The film opened across 58 locations on July 11, marking what producers call an ambitious rollout for one of the year’s most talked-about experimental projects.x

Bartek Pulcyn, programming director for the Warsaw Film Festival, emphasized the significance of this selection. “Artificial intelligence is entering the world of cinema more and more boldly — often supporting human work in hidden ways, sometimes even replacing it,” Pulcyn stated. “Post Truth uses AI openly to ask fundamental questions about the present and the future of the world and humanity”. The Warsaw Film Festival runs from October 10-19.aol

From Film Critic to AI Pioneer

Avcıoğlu brings an unusual background to this project, having worked as a FIPRESCI member film critic for over 15 years before transitioning to film acquisitions. He departed from the film industry in 2022 to explore AI storytelling and has since established himself as a prominent AI visual artist, with works exhibited at major art fairs including Paris Photo and Art Basel Miami. His pieces have been auctioned at Christie’s, and he recently collaborated with renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky on an exhibition that opened in New York.turkiyetoday

The director spent 15 months developing the film, generating over 55 hours of content using approximately 15 different AI tools. “We live in an era where everything feels staged and unreal,” Avcıoğlu explained to Turkey Today. “In a world where so much is staged and fake, what could better represent our postmodern reality than synthetic images?”deadline

Industry Response and Future Implications

The film’s theatrical success in Turkey has drawn international attention, with Başka Sinema now in discussions with international sales agents for global distribution. Described as “a fake film about the real world,” “Post Truth” adopts what promotional materials call “a self-reflexive critical tone, focusing on how technological thinking led the world to an era where facts don’t matter anymore”.deadline

The project arrives as the film industry grapples with artificial intelligence’s expanding role. While some celebrate AI’s potential to democratize filmmaking by reducing costs and production time, others worry about job displacement and the authenticity of creative expression. The documentary’s successful theatrical release marks a significant moment in ongoing debates about AI’s place in cinema, potentially setting a precedent for future AI-generated films seeking traditional distribution channels.stewarttownsend