During the festival, we’ll be presenting monthly film screenings and events about artificial intelligence, from classic science fiction imaginings of AIs gone awry to documentaries that look at the impact of artificial intelligence on the real world. Curated and hosted by Phoenix Cinema, these films will explore the questions that have preoccupied filmmakers since the earliest days of cinema – can a computer imitate the human mind, will AIs turn against their creators, and how will these technologies shape our future?

Directed by Greg Kohs

USA 2017, 1hr 30mins

“★★★★ – A fascinating journey into the hidden depths of artificial intelligence” – Evening Standard.

It’s man versus machine in this gripping and thought-provoking documentary that reveals as much about the workings of the human mind as it does the future of AI. The ancient Chinese game of Go – long considered a grand challenge for artificial intelligence – is the battleground as AlphaGo, an AI developed by Google’s DeepMind team, challenges Lee Sedol, the world’s most elite Go champion.

To find out more and access the link, visit Phoenix site HERE

Directed by Werner Herzog

USA 2016, 1hr 38mins

“★★★★ – Werner Herzog presents the web in all its wildness and utopian potential in this dizzying documentary” – Guardian.

The inimitable Werner Herzog turns his camera on the virtual world, taking the audience on a journey from the origins of the internet to a potential future where artificial intelligence renders life as we know it obsolete, in this fascinating and informative documentary.

For more information, visit Phoenix website HERE

Available to rent on YouTube and other platforms

Directed by Spike Jonze

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson

USA 2013, 2hrs 6mins

“★★★★ – Quietly dazzling” – Time Out.

Spike Jonze’s charming, existential rom-com follows Theodore, a lonely writer, who purchases a newly developed operating system designed to meet the user’s every need. Set in a near future seemingly designed by Apple, Her takes a different, gentler approach to AI, asking the question ‘Can machines fulfil our emotional needs?’

For more information, visit Phoenix website HERE

Available to rent on YouTube and other platforms

During May, Phoenix is presenting a ‘virtual screening’ that you can watch at home. Follow the link to rent the film and stream at your leisure.

iHuman + Director Q+A (15)

Directed by Tonje Hessen Schei

Documentary | English/Chinese | 99min

Rental Fee – £4.99

Award-winning director Tonje Hessen Schei’s documentary explores how artificial intelligence – the most powerful and far-reaching technology of our time – is changing our lives, our society and our future. This film is screening through Phoenix Virtual Cinema.

What makes us human? The line between human and machine is dissolving before we’ve even drawn it.  Smart devices, robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning: the future in which digital technology runs our lives is already here. But no-one really knows yet what it means for the world if machines are as intelligent as people or really what artificial intelligence really is.

To stay in control of the future, do we need to define what it means to be human?

Award-winning director Tonje Hessen Schei’s documentary iHuman is essentially a political thriller about artificial intelligence, power and social control. With unique deep access to this booming industry, the film shows how the most powerful and far-reaching technology of our time is changing our lives, our society and our future.

https://www.phoenix.org.uk/event/ihuman-director-qa/