Director Kwon Ji-yeon Invited to North America's Neu Wave AI Film Festival with 'A Thousand Years of Seduction'

Kwon Ji-yeon, a director recognized for her exceptional directing skills at prestigious film festivals such as the Berlin International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival, is making her international debut with a generative AI short film.

According to the film industry on September 28, Kwon's generative AI short film 'A Thousand Years of Seduction' has been officially selected for the North American '2026 Neu Wave AI Film Festival.'

Set in 11th-century Romania, 'A Thousand Years of Seduction' explores primal human desires and temptations through a gothic mystery narrative. The film features endless snowy landscapes, grand classical architecture, and portraits of dignified characters, showcasing a painterly texture reminiscent of classical oil paintings and delicate emotional nuances on screen. Its cinematic mise-en-scène has garnered enthusiastic praise from the jury, transcending mere technical display.

Kwon Ji-yeon is a traditional filmmaker who graduated from the directing program at the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) and holds a master's degree from the Korea National University of Arts. She has built a solid filmography, directing the short films 'Plot' (which competed at Berlin, Busan, and Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival) and 'Red Nail Polish' (invited to Clermont-Ferrand, Busan, and Torino Women’s Film Festival), as well as writing and directing the commercial feature film 'Secret Love.' With this work, she demonstrates her ability to combine traditional filmmaking techniques with AI tools to realize a large-scale gothic narrative that would have been difficult to achieve due to limitations in funding and infrastructure.

Kwon expressed her thoughts on the invitation, stating, "AI is not a technology that replaces directors, but a powerful canvas that erases the boundaries of imagination. I am delighted to communicate with global audiences through a new visual language that integrates traditional filmmaking with AI."

Academics are also taking note of the aesthetic achievements of 'A Thousand Years of Seduction.' Professor Jeong Mi-sook from Catholic Kwandong University’s Trinity Convergence College remarked, "The film poetically depicts betrayal, loss of love, the fall of kingdoms, and human loneliness and fear. It showcases outstanding cinematic imagination and directing skills that visualize a thousand years of tragic time."

She further praised the film for its depiction of the layered solitude and loss within the characters, illustrated through the swirling blizzards and fog, calling it an aesthetic achievement that transcends the boundaries of technology and art. She also highlighted the musical narrative that elevates tragic emotions into a poignant experience as a key point of interest.