A curated collection of AI-generated short films using erotic magazine photo spreads has made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival. The collection used photoshoots published 50 years ago. The collection is now streaming on Cultpix, with physical releases on Blu-ray and VHS coming from Klubb Super 8.
The project is from Thomas Meier of Norwegian company Multiformat. They used generative AI tools to turn 1976 magazine photo spreads into full-motion video. The video is complete with color, synced sound, dialogue, and voiceover. It’s an odd bet even for Cannes. However, transmuting still photos from half a century ago into an actual film is an interesting experiment.
Cultpix co-founder and CEO Rickard Gramfors nailed the concept at issue:
“We want to use the latest technology to stimulate a discussion about attitudes to images that are now half a century old,”
“what was once considered shocking ‘adult’ material now seems remarkably innocent by today’s standards.”
That context matters. This is really not just a titillating content play. It’s a cultural conversation dressed up in retro aesthetics and the latest technology.
Cultpix launched in April 2021 and has marketed itself as the largest cult and genre streaming website in the world. They’re based on the movies that showed in drive-ins and grindhouses, spanning from martial arts and sci-fi to horror and spaghetti westerns. And of course, vintage erotica has always been part of that DNA. The platform has maintained a curated strand of vintage erotica. In collaboration with specialist rights holders including Something Weird Video and Vinegar Syndrome.
The Swedish company behind the bizarre project, has its own physical media distribution arm. Klubb Super 8, also the distributor of the film, will be releasing the new work soon. For those of us who appreciate analog, they’re including a special limited-edition VHS version. Given the work’s source material, is a nice touch.
