Amid waves of criticism against AI, one film at London Film Festival 2025 has been proudly harnessing artificial intelligence.
Memory of Princess Mumbi is set in a retro-futuristic Africa in 2093, and much of the landscapes and scenic shots have been developed using AI. Although the filmmaker Damien Hauser’s intentions were to “make a movie that AI could never make,” he told Variety.
Following a filmmaker called Kuve, the film is set in the fictional kingdom of Umata following a war. Keen to document the post-war landscape, Kuve sets about making an entire movie without using AI (the assumption is that by 2093 artificial intelligence will be way more embedded in film-making than it already is).
The story about grief, love and loss was shot largely on location in Kenya but harnessed AI to better imagine the futuristic elements of his environments. Hauser told Variety the process of creating with AI took weeks, even though tools like Chat GPT produce results almost immediately.
BfI London Film Festival 2025: Memory of Princess Mumbi one of dozens of new releases
A trailer for Memory of Princess Mubi sees locals in Umata being nostalgic about movies from the 2020s, and demonstrates Hauser’s vision of marrying footage shot on location in Kenya with the more expansive AI landscapes.
The movie doesn’t yet have a UK cinematic release date, although it is playing as part of the London Film Festival 2025 taking place this month. There are screenings on 14 and 16 October although both are currently sold out; keep an eye on the website at 10am every morning and visit in-person ticket booths at participating venues BfI Southbank, Picturehouse Central and Royal Festival Hall to enquire about returns.
Beyond AI: Other films to catch at London Film Festival 2025
Read City AM’s guide to the best and buzziest films to see at this year’s London Film Festival 2025. This year’s Opening Gala is Daniel Craig’s Wake Up Dead Man, a new edition to the Knives Out franchise, and the Closing Gala is Hundred Nights of Hero, earmarking the acting debut of Charli xcx.
Is This Thing On? is Bradley Cooper’s third directorial feature film and follows the early career of the Liverpudlian comedian John Bishop, and Moss and Freud chronicles the working relationship between Kate Moss and Lucien Freud. For a full list of other highlights, read City AM’s guide to the buzziest movies being screened this year.
Plenty of lesser-known films have availability to book now, and the LFF website is searchable via the films with tickets still available if you’d like to make plans ahead of time. To read the full London Film Festival 2025 programme head to whatson.bfi.org.uk.