New York-based Visit Films has acquired worldwide sales rights, excluding German-speaking Europe, Benelux and the Philippines, to “Electric Child” from Swiss writer-director Simon Jaquemet. The film will world premiere Friday at Locarno Film Festival in competition in the Piazza Grande outdoor theater. Variety has been given exclusive access to the first-look clip (below).
“Electric Child” tells the story of a father’s desperate attempt to help his newborn son by going far outside moral norms and into dangerously uncharted territory when he appropriates and reengineers a high-level, superpower AI simulation at his work.
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“I aimed to depict human vulnerability against the backdrop of advanced technology,” Jaquemet said. “The goal was to immerse the audience in my main character Sonny’s journey, intertwining it with the unpredictable power of AI, creating a visually and emotionally compelling experience.”
Visit’s president Ryan Kampe said: “Humanity should be both excited and worried about a future where we co-exist with AI. Simon has blended these worlds together in a magical way that tells a simple parable in an exciting and emotionally resonant manner that will spark intellectual debate and commercial success.”
The film is produced by Michela Pini, Aurelius Eisenreich and Jaquemet for Swiss-based production company 8horses.
“Simon’s vision for ‘Electric Child’ immediately drew us in,” Pini and Eisenreich said. “The film’s narrative, blending a father’s struggle with AI, is both emotionally gripping and intellectually stimulating, making it an exceptional project.”
“Electric Child” stars Elliott Crosset Hove (“Godland,” 2019; “Winter Brothers,” 2017), and Rila Fukushima (“Ghost in the Shell,” 2017; “Game of Thrones,” 2015; “The Wolverine,” 2013).
The production designer is Michael Baumgartner; the cinematographer is Gabriel Sandru; the editor is Caterina Mona; and music is by Wiwek Mahabali.
The co-producers are Titus Kreyenberg, Raymond van der Kaaij, Judith Lichtneckert, Bianca Balbuena and Bradley Liew. Associate producer is Olga Lamontanara. The Swiss distributor is Ascot Elite Entertainment.
The film is co-produced with Unafilm, Revolver Amsterdam, Perron X, Epicmedia Productions, SRF/SRG SSR and CH Media.
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