The world's first AI feature film · made inside a film school

RisingEmbers

A thousand years buried. One truth remembered.

July 2026 · 140 min · English · 8 original songs

The story

A truth the world was built to forget.

By 2323, the world had already destroyed itself once through wars fought by machines. From the ashes, the Apex Human Council banned faith, blamed as the root of every war before, and built a civilisation on science, order and artificial intelligence.

3223 Apex2323 The BanGolgothaRomeByzantiumEurope

Nine hundred years later, in 3223, Dr Josh, a historian and researcher, was certain belief was an old superstition humanity had outgrown, until he unearthed a small, worn bronze cross, and something long dormant began to stir. A data chip from his assistant Nova opened a story time could not extinguish: Christ's death at Golgotha, the disciples carrying His message, Stephen's martyrdom, Saul's transformation, Rome's persecution met with unyielding prayer, a fragment of rope carried quietly through generations.

The record ended without warning. Before Josh could chase the questions it left behind, the Council discovered his forbidden search. He did not survive it. But the ember he had uncovered was already alight, and some truths, once remembered, cannot be buried a second time.

Erase a truth for a thousand years, and a civilisation forgets. Unearth it once, and a man remembers, even if it kills him.

The film

Rising
Embers

A world first

The world's first AI feature film made inside a film school.

140Minutes
Feature length

2,000Years
Of history

20+4Students
Plus faculty

6Months
Script to screen

How it was made

No template existed. We built one.

Fourteen stages, story to release, the same workflow now taught to every PDAC batch. Drag the reel to move through it.

01 / 14

Story

Two millennia of devotion, shaped into three deliberate acts, so the narrative carries both the weight of history and the momentum of cinema.

02 / 14

Script

The story becomes a working document. Scenes, beats and structure laid out before a single word of dialogue is written.

03 / 14

Screenplay

Every word of dialogue, every scene, every historical detail meticulously crafted into a rigorous screenplay.

04 / 14

Concept & look

Palette, lighting mood, camera language and reference boards define how every frame will feel.

05 / 14

Pre-visualisation

Every character, place and object designed once, in locked reference sheets every prompt follows.

06 / 14

Shot division

The screenplay broken into a precise, shot-by-shot cinematic breakdown of framing, lens and movement.

07 / 14

Storyboard

Every frame conceived by human imagination before technology touched it, until the film found its voice.

08 / 14

Prompt generation

Every shot distilled into a precise prompt, governed by a standard structure that unified the team.

09 / 14

Video generation

The AI cinematographers breathed life into every idea, scrutinised daily against the references.

10 / 14

Voice & casting

Casting for an AI film is casting for a voice. Every character auditioned, recorded and directed.

11 / 14

Sound & music

Foley, atmosphere and an original score written to picture. The film learned to breathe.

12 / 14

Editing & grading

Rhythm carved in the edit, colour graded shot by shot until every frame agreed.

13 / 14

Continuity & QC

Every shot verified with precision, because across two thousand years, one break could shatter the truth.

14 / 14

Release

Mastered for theatres, OTT and festivals. One master serves every window.

Drag or swipe through all 14 stages

From the direction

The film, in their words.

“

My direction meant nothing without their courage. I could shape the vision, but only they could breathe life into it. Direction was never about control. It was about the freedom for every student's creativity to find its own expression.

Abin Alex · Director

“

Teaching gave students knowledge. Mentorship gave them the courage to trust it. Every student carried a vision worth protecting. I simply refused to let any vision die before it had the chance to live.

Anu Joseph · Associate Director

The original soundtrack

Eight songs. Two languages each.

Lyrics by Joseph Alex, music by Krishna P S, in English and Malayalam. On 23 streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music.

RISING EMBERSORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKCREATIVE HUT

Now on the platterDrop the needle

01Track title 01
02Track title 02
03Track title 03
04Track title 04
05Track title 05
06Track title 06
07Track title 07
08Track title 08

The credits

Twenty students. Four faculty. One film.

Production

Creative Hut EducationProduced by
Abin AlexProducer
Anu JosephProducer
Kuriachen P JCo-Producer

Leadership & Story

Abin AlexDirector
Anu JosephAssociate Dir
Kuriachen P JWriter
Johney PhilipCo-Writer
Alka MohanProduction Mgr
Dr. Lizy K FernandezAssistant Dir

AI Cinematography

Jyotiraditya PatilAI Cine
Deepesh ChandraAI Cine
Nandhana P BAI Cine
Aditya SathiyarajAI Cine
Boya Naveen KumarAsst
Aryan GuptaAsst
Aarav AsterAsst

Sound & Music

Krishna P SSound Designer
Joseph AlexLyrics
Jinto JohnSound Mixer

Post-Production

MahiEditor
Bomma Saichand GoudAssoc Editor
Jinto AbrahamColourist
Karthik V KTechnical Producer

Design & Visuals

Nithin Kumar NCreative Designer
M GaneshAsst Designer
Rins JosephAsst Designer
Satyam KumarVisual Asst
Joel Varghese JacobVisual Asst

Voices from the production

The team, in their own words.

Eighteen crew records, recovered intact. Every voice that built the world's first AI feature film made inside a film school.

apex_archive / production_records / RE-CREW.logDECRYPTED

RecRecovered statementContributor

01"When those frames started coming together, something shifted. It stopped feeling like work and started feeling like something else entirely. Like, this is real. This is actually a film."Jyotiraditya PatilAI CinematographerVERIFIED

02"There were days this broke me completely. The distance between my vision and what AI-generated imagery produced was devastating. But I kept standing. What emerged through AI filmmaking was truer than anything I had planned."Deepesh ChandraAI CinematographerVERIFIED

03"Working on Rising Embers was truly a golden learning experience. We built everything from scratch, overcame difficult challenges, and brought to life a project that taught me the real process behind filmmaking."Nandhana P BAI CinematographerVERIFIED

04"Making Rising Embers with 20 classmates was challenging but unforgettable. We built a full AI film: dialogues, visuals, sound. Through failures and sleepless nights, we never gave up. Creativity has no limits."Aryan GuptaAsst AI CinematographerVERIFIED

05"AI filmmaking was unfamiliar territory and I almost quit. But deep learning, daily practice and patience changed everything. What once felt impossible became instinct."Boya Naveen KumarAsst AI CinematographerVERIFIED

06"I walked into this uncertain of everything I was capable of. Having given every frame and every sound everything I had, I walked out someone entirely unrecognisable to myself, and I mean that beautifully."Aarav AsterAsst AI CinematographerVERIFIED

07"Working on Rising Embers was an emotional journey of exhaustion, passion and growth. Every frame and every sound carries my heart and struggle within it. Seeing it on the big screen feels genuinely unreal."Aditya SathiyarajAI CinematographerVERIFIED

08"Transitioning from singer to AI music composer, my vocal background became my greatest asset. Debuting with a full AI feature film was a beginning I could not have designed more perfectly."Krishna P SSound DesignerVERIFIED

09"When I started assembling the cut, I did not realise how far we had truly come as a team. Seeing it all together for the first time was overwhelming. We built something none of us had ever attempted before."MahiEditorVERIFIED

10"I built the complete storyboard using AI, translating every scene into a precise visual blueprint, and designed the official Rising Embers book, giving the story a life beyond the screen."Bomma Saichand GoudAssociate EditorVERIFIED

11"Colour grading an AI-generated feature film is unlike anything conventional. There is no camera log, no consistent sensor profile. What this team built gave me real material, and the result stands entirely on its own."Jinto AbrahamColouristVERIFIED

12"Serving as Technical Producer has been deeply rewarding. The seamless collaboration and unwavering support from the entire team played a vital role in executing every technical and creative vision."Karthik V KTechnical ProducerVERIFIED

13"I walked in without experience, without comfort, without certainty. All I carried was one relentless hunger, and an ember that refused to go out. Turns out, that was enough to build something that lasts."Nithin Kumar NCreative DesignerVERIFIED

14"Designing posters, characters and sound, I discovered my true potential. Seeing our small student team's work on the big screen is a rare, proud achievement."M GaneshAsst Creative DesignerVERIFIED

15"I moved between sequence generation and behind-the-scenes documentation. A production like this deserves to be part of history, not just as a film, but as evidence of how it was made, day by day."Rins JosephAsst Creative DesignerVERIFIED

16"Prompting was a challenge I had to find my own way into. English is not my first language, so I broke each image into its simplest pieces. Gradually, what I carried in my mind started appearing on screen."Satyam KumarVisual AssistantVERIFIED

17"AI filmmaking taught me a new creative language. I learned to guide the technology rather than fight it, and that changed my entire process."Joel Varghese JacobVisual AssistantVERIFIED

18"Coordinating teammates across India, chasing deadlines and keeping everyone aligned was transformative. Managing an AI film production was never just work. It was a life-changing experience in professional AI project management."Alka MohanProduction ManagerVERIFIED

18 RECORDS · RISING EMBERS · CREATIVE HUT ACADEMYSTATUS: DECRYPTED ●

Frequently asked

Questions, answered.

01What is Rising Embers about?

Set in 3223, nine hundred years after a machine-driven war and a council that outlawed faith. A researcher, Dr Josh, unearths a buried cross and, through a data chip from his assistant Nova, uncovers a two-thousand-year account of belief. It is a science-fiction frame around a true historical story of endurance.

02Is Rising Embers fully AI-generated?

Every frame is AI-generated: no live-action footage, camera or location shooting. Story, editing and lyrics are human; all visuals, cinematography, sound and score are AI, directed shot by shot under faculty supervision.

03How long is the film, and in what language?

A 140-minute feature in English, with eight original songs in English and Malayalam. One master serves theatrical, streaming and festival release.

04Where and when can I watch it?

Distribution and release windows are open, with a July 2026 target. The film is in conversation with theatrical, OTT and festival partners.

05Is it available for licensing?

Yes. Open for theatrical, OTT, festival and territorial distribution, and institutional licensing to universities and film schools.

06How can I learn to make AI films like this?

Creative Hut Academy runs a one-year residential Diploma in AI Filmmaking. The same fourteen-stage pipeline is taught. Admissions for the 2027 batch are open.

07Who made it? Was it really twenty students?

Yes. Made by twenty students under four faculty, over six months, inside Creative Hut Academy in Kerala. Directed by Abin Alex; Associate Director Anu Joseph.

08What AI tools were used?

A combination of leading AI image and video generation tools, AI sound platforms and traditional editing software. The stack evolved as newer tools became available.

For distribution & investment