Artificial intelligence is moving deeper into mainstream filmmaking, and a new documentary shown at the Venice Film Festival offers one of the clearest examples yet of how the technology could reshape non-fiction cinema.
“Be Brave,” a documentary about Diesel founder Renzo Rosso, blends traditional interviews and archival material with AI-generated scenes designed to reconstruct moments from his life that were never captured on camera.
Directed by Francesco Carrozzini, the film premiered at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival and is screening out of competition. Its extensive use of artificial intelligence comes at a time when filmmakers, actors and other creative professionals are increasingly debating how AI could affect jobs, authorship and artistic expression.
AI Recreates Missing Chapters From Rosso’s Life
One of the documentary’s most striking uses of AI is the recreation of Rosso’s childhood.
Because little visual material exists from his early years in rural northeastern Italy, the filmmakers used artificial intelligence to build scenes that bring those memories to life.
Rosso said seeing a version of himself as a child was an emotional experience, particularly because no comparable footage existed before.
The technology was not limited to childhood sequences. According to director Francesco Carrozzini, Rosso himself was not conventionally filmed for the documentary. Instead, AI techniques were used to create or reconstruct his presence in several parts of the film.
By contrast, interviews with figures including fashion editor Anna Wintour and designer John Galliano were recorded in the traditional way, although some backgrounds were stylised or digitally altered.
A Film About a Man Known for Taking Risks
The choice of artificial intelligence fits closely with Rosso’s public image.
The Italian entrepreneur transformed Diesel from a small denim business into an internationally recognised fashion brand and built much of his career around experimentation and disruption.
Rosso has also described himself as an enthusiastic adopter of new technologies. He said the documentary became more attractive to him when he learned that AI would play a central role in its production.
For Rosso, the experiment reflects the same approach that has shaped much of his business career: trying new technologies before they become widely accepted.
Venice Becomes a Stage for the AI Debate
The documentary arrives as the film industry faces growing uncertainty over the role of generative AI.
At this year’s Venice Film Festival, concerns about the technology have featured prominently in discussions about the future of cinema. Filmmakers and actors, including George Clooney, have warned that rapidly improving AI systems could threaten creative professions and change the way films are produced.
“Be Brave” producer Lorenzo Mieli acknowledged those concerns but argued that the industry should not simply reject the technology.
His position is that AI should be regulated and carefully controlled to prevent exploitation and protect jobs, while filmmakers also learn how it can be used as a creative tool.
Can AI Become Just Another Filmmaking Tool?
The bigger question raised by “Be Brave” is whether audiences will eventually view AI in the same way they now see CGI, digital editing or other technologies that were once considered disruptive.
For documentary filmmakers, AI could make it possible to visualise memories, historical moments and personal experiences for which no photographs or video recordings exist.
At the same time, highly realistic synthetic footage creates new challenges. Documentary cinema traditionally carries an expectation of authenticity, and the ability to generate convincing scenes could make it increasingly important for filmmakers to explain clearly what is real and what has been reconstructed.
Rosso, however, does not believe machines will replace human creativity.
His view is that artists, designers and filmmakers will remain essential, even as artificial intelligence becomes more capable.
“Be Brave” is therefore more than a portrait of the Diesel founder. It also serves as a real-world experiment in how far AI can enter traditional filmmaking without changing the fundamental role of the people behind the story.
Source: Reuters
