A.RTIFICIAL I.MMORTALITY, A Film by Ann Shin

Ann Shin’s Thought-Provoking Documentary A.RTIFICIAL I.MMORTALITY Ponders If the Human Mind Can Live on Forever Through Technology

Coming to VOD in the U.S. Starting Jan. 11, 2022 via Syndicado

Can artificial intelligence (AI) enable us to live forever? Filmmaker and author Ann Shin (a Canadian Screen Award winner for The Defector: Escape From North Korea) sets out on a journey exploring the latest AI and biotech with scientists and visionaries who foresee a ‘post-biological’ world where humans and AI merge. Will AI be the best, or the last thing we ever do? Shin seeks answers to these questions in her new feature documentary A.RTIFICIAL I.MMORTALITY, which was an Official Selection and the Opening Night film of Hot Docs 2021. Digital distributor Syndicado is releasing the film on VOD in the U.S. including Google TV, Apple TV, Vudu and InDemand starting Jan. 11, 2022.

If you were able to create an immortal version of yourself, would you? Until recently, that question was the stuff of science fiction, but now artificial intelligence and robotics experts suggest it could be possible. This cinematic documentary explores the latest in cloning and avatar technology as we enter the age of the metaverse. What is the essence of the human mind, and can it be replicated? Or even more unsettling, could we soon meet cloned versions of ourselves which are better, smarter, and immortal?

A.rtificial I.mmortality explores these questions with visionaries including: Nick Bostrom, author of Superintelligence, Hiroshi Ishiguro, developer of his own uncannily realistic clone Geminoid; Douglas Rushkoff, author of Team Human; A.I. developer Ben Goertzel, who coined the term Artificial General Intelligence; and new age guru Deepak Chopra, who is creating his own A.I. mind twin. As scientists on the forefront of technology show that a world where humans and machines merge isn’t so far away, we have to ask ourselves will AI be the best, or the last thing we ever do?

“When my father developed dementia, I realized we were losing him in bits and pieces. I wondered what if we had captured his memories in an AI clone before his memory started going? What would it be like for us all to have AI clones-- a way for us to be part of our families’ lives even after we die?” said director Ann Shin. “These questions spurred me to make this documentary. My aim is journalistic, but also philosophical and poetic. I discovered some astonishing things including: 3D mindclone avatars, brain organoids being grown in petri dishes, and android robots who talk about the beauty they see in the universe. The technology we have created in the pursuit of immortality is startling, even terrifying. We may come to a point where we can choose at the end of our lives to either die or to ‘upload’ our minds into a digital platform. This film explores these nuances in our quest for immortality in the 21st century.”

About the Director:

Ann Shin is a multiple award-winning Director and Producer known for compelling documentaries and series. Her feature documentary, A.rtificial I.mmortality was selected to be the Opening Night film at Hot Docs 2021. Her previous film My Enemy, My Brother won Grand Jury Prize at SDAFF, the short version was shortlisted for a 2016 Academy Award, and nominated for an Emmy. Her cross-platform project The Defector: Escape From North Korea film and interactive won Best Documentary, Best Documentary Director and the Diversity Award at the Canadian Screen Awards. The Defector Interactive won the FITC Award, the Canadian Digi Award, and at the SXSW Interactive Festival. Her directorial credits include: A.rtificial I.mmortality, The Superfood Chain, Smart Drugs, The Four Seasons Mosaic (CBC), Gemini nominee for Best Performance Doc; and Columbus International Film and Video Festival Award-winning The Roswell Incident, Western Eyes, and Almost Real: Connecting in a Wired World.

Credits:

Director: Ann Shin

Producers: Erica Leendertse, Hannah Donegan

Consulting Producer: Gerry Flahive

Directors of Photography: Iris Ng, Stephen Chung

Editors: Steve Taylor, Shannon Kennedy, Geoff Matheson

Art Director: Alexandra G. Brillembourg

Composer: Todor Kobakov

Canada | 2021 | 75 min | 16:9 | 1:1.78 | 5.1 mix | English Subtitles

Film website: https://www.artificialimmortality.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ai.documentaryfilm/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ai_documentary/