Matthias BastianView the LinkedIn Profile of Matthias Bastian
Jul 20, 2026
Neill Blomkamp, best known for directing “District 9,” has released “Nightborne,” his first short film generated entirely by AI. The 13-minute sci-fi horror piece was built from scratch using the Seedance 2.0 video generation model, with Blomkamp directing frame by frame through text prompts. Shot in a documentary style, the film follows a U.S. pilot presumed dead and a secret military program that sends fallen soldiers back into combat.
The faces and voices of 32 real people were used under licensing agreements, and human artists created the concept art. Blomkamp said on X that he now plans to shoot a full-length feature film in the same format. He also founded Barley Studios, a new AI film studio that succeeds Oats Studios, which makes traditional films.
AI still faces skepticism in the creative industries, driven by concerns over training datacopyright issues, and fears of declining quality. Even so, it’s reportedly gaining ground as a production tool
