Neill Blomkamp Releases AI Short "NIGHTBORNE" and Launches Studio

Director of District 9 and Elysium, Neill Blomkamp, released his first fully AI-generated 13-minute test short film, NIGHTBORNE. This marks his official transition of this production method into more complete content creation after years of experimenting with AI technology, with the full film available on YouTube.

Key Details

The short film was made entirely using the Seedance 2.0 model, which he referred to as the first complete AI film test. Blomkamp revealed that the characters are not purely virtual fabrications; real actors and talent were used for their creation, and real human concept designers participated in the production process.

Future Plans

Alongside releasing this test short, Blomkamp simultaneously announced the establishment of his AI film studio, Barely Studios. With this studio, his next step is to advance a feature film project.

2026-07-20 ~ 2026-07-21 · 6 related posts

• [source] Blomkamp Uses AI to Create 13-Minute Short Film — AIandDesign · 2026-07-20
• [source] Neill Blomkamp’s new AI short film made with Seedance 2.0 — mark_k · 2026-07-20
• Neill Blomkamp releases an all-AI film and starts Barely Studios — chrisfirst · 2026-07-20

3 near-duplicate retellings: chrisfirst · chrisfirst · TheChuckTone