Justin Hackney
An 800-year-old monument is the perfect backdrop for a conversation about a medium that's reinventing itself every six months. Justin Hackney was at the 2nd India AI Film Festival at Qutub Minar in Delhi, where indie filmmakers, studio executives, and technologists had gathered to screen AI short films and debate what's coming next for production.
AI has crossed a threshold
Twelve months ago, AI was a pre-visualisation tool. Good for mood boards and rough concepts, but not yet ready for production-grade projects.
That's changed in the last few months.
"Now you can do really high-quality stuff," Justin Hackney said at the India AI Film Festival in Delhi. "It takes money. It takes time. Takes specialists, takes craft."
But let's be clear: these tools haven't made skill optional. New models are raising the ceiling for what skilled people can produce.
Individual creators are already making short films from their bedrooms, work that would have needed a crew and a production budget not long ago. The traditional film industry - people with decades of production knowledge and deep specialist craft - is only just beginning to pick these tools up now.
"Without a doubt, these tools, AI, is the biggest unlock for creativity that we've ever experienced as a species."
Wonder now collaborates with indie creators who have been experimenting for the last few years, and industry professionals who bring decades of craft. Justin has talked about this convergence before, calling it a Creative Renaissance.
Building a bridge between three worlds
Right now, AI model companies, AI tool builders, independent creators, and the established film industry aren't talking to each other as much as they could.
"We're the bridge between the industry, the technology, the creatives," Justin said at Upscale Conf.
"We don't want to be disruptive. We're not here to replace Hollywood. We're not here to freak people out. We want to play. And I believe there's enough of a market for everyone to win."
The industry starts paying attention when it sees AI helping creatives produce work that meets professional production standards.
"Suddenly they understand, wow, this is probably good for us."
What creators can do now
Thousands of creatives are already working with these tools, and approaching from multiple angles. Some are traditional filmmakers picking up AI for the first time. Others started with AI and are learning the filmmaking side.
"It's really about that moment where creativity and technology converge," Justin said. "The investment is into people. We're trying to find the best people in this space. People who are bold enough to ask bigger questions or to push forward with more meaning."
Wonder's events programme runs workshops and screenings where creators shoot, build, craft and edit in real time, share their process with one another, and meet new collaborators for new ventures.
For anyone who wants in, our community is open.
