Tribeca Lets AI Into Its Official Lineup—One To Watch, Not Cheer

BusinessMediaTribeca Lets AI Into Its Official Lineup—One To Watch, Not CheerByMaureen Kerr,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Maureen Kerr covers AI, media and entertainment economics.Follow AuthorJun 02, 2026, 03:57pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.NEW YORK, NEW YORK: (L-R) Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal speak during the 25th Tribeca Festival Bloomberg reception on June 01, 2026. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)Getty Images for Tribeca FestivalTribeca has accepted what its makers describe as a fully AI-generated, live-action feature into its official lineup. The film is called Dreams of Violets, and a Tribeca spokesperson confirmed to Forbes that it is officially programmed in the 2026 festival, with its world premiere on June 10.It is a 75-minute docudrama about the January protests in Iran, made by Iranian-born brothers Ash and Pooya Koosha through their company Fountain 0. The filmmakers say it was built with no cast, no crew and no cameras.Tribeca Has Been Building Toward This Since 2024Tribeca is not an unlikely festival for this moment. I have written before about Tribeca’s Sora Shorts, the program Tribeca and OpenAI built in 2024 to give five filmmakers early access to OpenAI’s video model. One of them was Ellie Foumbi, whose Sora short Black Amber I covered and whom I interviewed about the work.Jane Rosenthal, the festival’s cofounder, has spent two years making the case that AI can serve human storytelling. In a statement provided to Forbes by her office, Rosenthal said what moved the festival was “not just the technological achievement, but the emotional immediacy and urgency of the story itself.” Tribeca Enterprises, the festival’s parent, has been majority-owned since 2019 by James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems, a media and technology investor. This is the next step, not a departure.How This Fil...