AI film Hell Grind misrepresented as Cannes official premiere

Saturday 23 May 2026 - 09:52

By: Dakir Madiha

AI film Hell Grind misrepresented as Cannes official premiere

A fully artificial intelligence-generated feature film titled “Hell Grind” was incorrectly described as having its official premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, after widespread online claims suggested it was part of the festival’s formal selection. In reality, the screening took place outside the official program in a local cinema in Cannes as part of a third-party industry event.

The confusion began after reports circulated that the 95-minute science fiction and heist film had debuted at the festival. The film was created using the Higgsfield AI video generation platform and promoted as a milestone for AI-driven filmmaking. Its creator publicly described the project as a turning point comparable to major technological shifts in cinema, including synchronized sound and computer-generated imagery. The framing contributed to the rapid spread of inaccurate claims across social media and technology circles.

Verification efforts later confirmed that “Hell Grind” was never included in any official Cannes selection category. The screening took place at Cinéma Olympia in Cannes on May 21, but not within any accredited festival venue or official festival programming. Observers reviewing the official lineup reported no mention of the film in any section of the event, reinforcing that it was not part of the curated festival schedule.

Industry commentary indicates that the screening was organized independently, likely as a promotional showcase aimed at investors and media professionals attending Cannes. The film itself was produced in 14 days by a team of 15 people with a budget of 500,000 dollars, with the majority of costs attributed to computing resources required for AI generation. It was directed by Aitore Zholdaskali and co-written with filmmaker Adilkhan Yerzhanov, who has previously been selected for Cannes official programs.

The project was designed to demonstrate the potential of fully AI-generated narrative cinema, depicting a story about four street-level criminals on a journey through a fictional underworld. Despite the technological ambition, analysts noted that the Cannes association claim relied on informal positioning rather than official recognition, highlighting how marketing narratives can blur distinctions between independent events and established cultural institutions.