AI-powered documentary tests cinema's boundaries in Venice

Director Francesco Carrozzini, producer Lorenzo Mieli and Renzo Rosso, pose during a photocall for the documentary "Be Brave" from the section Venice Open, Out of Competition, at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, in Venice, Italy, September 10, 2026. REUTERS/Yves Herman

VENICE, Sept 10 (Reuters) - A documentary charting the ⁠rise of Diesel fashion brand founder Renzo Rosso premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, ⁠becoming one of the first AI-assisted entries to test the technology's place in mainstream cinema.

Directed by ‌Francesco Carrozzini, "Be Brave" combines genuine interviews and archive footage with AI-generated video so convincing that viewers will likely struggle to realise many sequences are not real.

Concern over AI's impact on creativity and jobs in the entertainment industry has loomed large over Venice, with several filmmakers ​and actors, including George Clooney, warning of the risks posed by the ⁠rapidly evolving technology.

"Be Brave" producer ⁠Lorenzo Mieli acknowledged those concerns but said the industry needed to engage with AI rather than reject it outright.

"We ⁠need ‌to regulate it, control it, prevent exploitation and prevent the disappearance of professions. But we also need to understand it very well," he told reporters, adding that he hoped it would ultimately become just ⁠another artistic tool.

Rosso, who grew up in rural northeastern Italy, built ​Diesel from a small denim company ‌into one of fashion's most recognisable brands, establishing a reputation as a businessman who thrived on disruption ⁠and risk-taking.

"I've had ​a pretty crazy life. I've done some incredible things. (But) I wasn't interested in making a film about my life, and I wasn't interested in telling everyone how great or how cool I am," Rosso said.

However, describing himself as a technology enthusiast, he ⁠said he embraced the idea for the documentary when he heard ​it would rely on AI.

"I thought, wow. This is me," he said. "I like doing things before everybody else," he added, recalling that he had been among the first Italian entrepreneurs to adopt tools such as fax machines and e-commerce.

CHILDHOOD ⁠BROUGHT TO LIFE

The film recreates periods of Rosso's life for which no footage still exists, including scenes from his childhood.

"There were no images of me when I was little," he said. "It brought tears to my eyes seeing myself as a child speaking."

Carrozzini said AI had been used throughout the documentary, including scenes where the older Rosso ​had apparently appeared in flesh and bone. "Not a single frame of Renzo was ⁠filmed for this documentary," he said.

However, interviews with the likes of fashion editor Anna Wintour and designer John Galliano are ​actual filmed conversations set against stylised or retouched backdrops.

Rosso rejected suggestions ‌that the technology would eventually replace designers and artists.

"Creativity is ​absolutely not replaced by the machine," he said. "Human beings remain fundamental."

"Be Brave" is screening out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, which ends on Saturday.

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

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2026年9月10日，在意大利威尼斯举行的第83届威尼斯国际电影节上，纪录片《勇敢》（Be Brave）在威尼斯开放单元（非竞赛单元）的媒体见面会上，导演弗朗切斯科·卡罗齐尼、制片人洛伦佐·米耶利和伦佐·罗索合影留念。（路透社/伊夫·赫尔曼摄）

威尼斯，9 月 10 日（路透社）——一部记录 Diesel 时尚品牌创始人 Renzo Rosso 崛起历程的纪录片于周四在威尼斯电影节首映，成为首批利用人工智能技术在主流电影中检验其地位的作品之一。

由弗朗切斯科·卡罗齐尼执导的《勇敢起来》将真实的采访和档案影像与人工智能生成的视频相结合，其逼真程度足以让观众难以相信许多片段并非真实发生。

人工智能对娱乐行业的创造力和就业的影响一直备受关注，威尼斯电影节期间，包括乔治·克鲁尼在内的几位电影制作人和演员都警告说，这项快速发展的技术会带来风险。

《勇敢前行》的制片人洛伦佐·米耶利承认了这些担忧，但他表示，电影行业需要与人工智能进行对话，而不是断然拒绝它。

“我们需要规范它、控制它，防止剥削，防止职业消失。但我们也需要非常了解它，”他告诉记者，并补充说，他希望它最终能成为另一种艺术工具。

在意大利东北部农村长大的罗索，将 Diesel 从一家小型牛仔布公司发展成为时尚界最知名的品牌之一，并树立了以颠覆和冒险精神著称的商人形象。

“我的人生经历相当疯狂，我做过一些不可思议的事情。（但是）我对拍一部关于我人生的电影不感兴趣，我也不想告诉所有人我有多棒、多酷，”罗索说道。

然而，他自称是科技爱好者，并表示当他听说这部纪录片将依靠人工智能时，他欣然接受了这个想法。

“我当时想，哇，这不就是我吗？”他说道。“我喜欢抢在别人前面做事，”他补充道，并回忆起自己是最早一批采用传真机和电子商务等工具的意大利企业家之一。

童年重现

这部电影重现了罗索人生中一些已无影像资料留存的时期，包括他的童年场景。

“我小时候的照片都没有，”他说。“看到小时候的自己说话，我感动得热泪盈眶。”

卡罗齐尼表示，整部纪录片都运用了人工智能技术，包括一些场景中，年长的罗索似乎以血肉之躯出现在画面中。“这部纪录片没有拍摄过伦佐的任何一帧画面，”他说道。

然而，像时尚编辑安娜·温图尔和设计师约翰·加利亚诺这样的人物的采访，都是在经过风格化或修饰的背景下拍摄的真实对话。

罗索驳斥了这项技术最终会取代设计师和艺术家的说法。

“创造力绝对不会被机器取代，”他说。“人类仍然是根本。”

《勇敢前行》正在威尼斯电影节非竞赛单元展映，电影节将于周六闭幕。

（克里斯皮安·巴尔默报道；安德鲁·海文斯编辑）

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