Lights, camera… artificial intelligence?
Dreams of Violets, a feature film inspired by the protest violence and massacres that took place in Iran in early 2026, will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10. The film was directed and produced by brothers Ash and Pooya Koosha under their AI-driven production company, Fountain 0, and every visual featured in the 75-minute docudrama was generated by AI.
The inclusion of Dreams of Violets at Tribeca comes amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and ongoing tensions in the Middle East. At a time when relatively few filmmakers from the region can tell such stories on the world stage, the topic seems particularly timely and likely to spark debate.
Questions surrounding films like this shaped almost every panel and discussion at an AI filmmaking conference I attended this week in Culver City, California, called AI on the Lot. Throughout the event, speakers expressed continued optimism that AI video tools will expand access to filmmaking for underrepresented creators who have historically faced financial barriers to bringing their projects to life.
I’ve seen many examples of how AI can enable artists to create visually stunning works for a fraction of the usual cost. Case in point: Dreams of Violets was made in two months for $2,000.
At the same time, the film raises concerns about using AI to depict deeply human experiences without the lived perspective or emotional authenticity needed to fully ground the story. The project’s inclusion in Tribeca has already sparked heated debate online.
Discussions about the film have spread on Reddit, with very mixed reactions. Some users criticized Tribeca for scheduling the project, while others praised the Koosha brothers for bypassing traditional studio gatekeepers and financial barriers that often limit independent productions.
Several commentators highlighted the work of Oscar-nominated Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, whose 2025 Palme d’Or-winning film It Was Just an Accident also explored political activism and repression in Iran. For many critics, Panahi’s film offered a more humane and grounded depiction of the events because he made the film without performances or AI-generated images.
Panahi is currently the subject of legal proceedings in Iran for “propaganda against the regime”.
A representative for Fountain 0 Studios did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Before making films, Ash and Pooya Koosha used AI to make music. Ash released an album in 2018 called Return O. The album featured performances by Yona, an AI pop star created by Pooya at Auxuman, a company that developed music, games, and virtual worlds, all created using AI.
