The Aristocrat is a murky look at hedonism and depravity among the societal elite. What drew you to exploring these themes in your film?
Frankie Caradonna: These are themes that have always fascinated me—the evolution of the philosophical concept of hedonism over the centuries, as well as the political theory of elites. The inspiration for The Aristocrat came while I was researching the increasing production and sale of luxury bunkers and bomb shelters. I found myself wondering: Would a swimming pool, a gym, a recording studio, a bowling alley, an immersive cinema, or a state-of-the-art game room really be enough to fight off the boredom of a post-apocalyptic world? Or would it be far more entertaining to have artists, celebrities, and performers at my disposal? That’s how the idea of an apocalypse party and an exclusive bunker guest list was born.
The Aristocrat's visual quality is a testament to the power of generative technology. What specific AI tools did you employ to achieve this? Specifically, how did you utilize these tools to realize your vision for The Aristocrat's distinct aesthetic style?
Frankie Caradonna: When I created this film, text-to-image and image-to-video models weren’t as advanced as they are today. Back then, Runway’s brush seemed promising, and Midjourney still had significant limitations in generating photorealistic imagery. Yet, the tools to craft an atmosphere and tell a story were already there. For me, many of these personal projects serve as playgrounds for R&D, allowing me to experiment freely and prepare for larger-scale projects and more complex personal works. If I had the time, it would be fun to regenerate those images with today’s models—but alas, I’m already deep into new projects.
What message, if any, would you like viewers to take from your winning film?
Frankie Caradonna: There’s no real message behind The Aristocrat. It’s meant to be fun—a film that represents the core of a story I’d love to develop further. A dramedy about the end of the world, more ironic than Don’t Look Up, centered on the absurd contradictions of class divisions (especially the upper classes) in such an extraordinary scenario. Think Triangle of Sadness, but with a Doctor Strangelove sensibility and the surreal comedy of Mel Brooks.
Where has your AI filmmaking journey taken you thus far? What are your future plans, if any, and how do you see the current relationship between AI and filmmaking developing in the future?
Frankie Caradonna: I continue directing live-action projects—soon, a 40-minute music film I shot with a legendary Italian band will be released. It’s a hybrid between cinema, documentary, and music storytelling. At the same time, I’m actively working on AI-driven and mixed-media productions. I had the chance to create a stunning animation for an international client, and I’m currently developing a commercial AI project with Italy’s leading VFX post-production house. I’m also about to start a short film with a New York agency while pushing forward personal projects like The City of Immortals, which I envision as an AI-generated medium-length film. AI is becoming part of the audiovisual game—another tool that integrates with traditional methods, reshaping production pipelines and workflows.
Describe in a few words or one sentence what AI in filmmaking means to you.
Frankie Caradonna: AI means having easier and faster access to a set of narrative tools. And in filmmaking, access is everything.
Please feel free to share any work you have done since your win last year or any exciting announcements for the upcoming year!
Frankie Caradonna: Since January I have been part of the Creative partners Program of Runway, and I recently became a super collaborator at Pika, a good start of the year. I’ll soon be able to share my latest commercial projects. In the months following The Aristocrat, I had the opportunity to create The Edge of Wilderness, a short film selected by Dream Flare and The Unhuman Short Film Festival, which allowed me to deeply explore character consistency.
This work led me to start another project, much more complex and articulated. The personal project that has occupied me the most recently is The City of Immortals—a film I’m developing while seeking partners and investors. With a VFX team that has worked on major Hollywood productions and AI as our creative partner, The City of Immortals is coming to life—a story that turns a childhood dream into reality. The City of Immortals unfolds in ever-shifting worlds where time bends, and reality dissolves. From labyrinthine cities to collapsing ancient architecture, the film explores themes of existence, transformation, and freedom. Imagine epic, ultra-cinematic visuals: Roman soldiers navigating surreal landscapes in the desert, anti-gravity structures reminiscent of an M.C. Escher painting, and a protagonist time-jumping through past and future versions of himself.
Picture seamless transitions between the protagonist as a young soldier and his older, weathered self. The film is filled with dreamlike, impossible geometries—an ambitious vision that, until now, only a massive CGI team could bring to life. On a lighter level I had fun over a weekend putting together Dance First, a video for the World Amateur Dancers Association.
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