Japanese filmmaker Koji Fukada has said that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to “jump straight to the result” risks undermining the purpose of art, which he believes should be rooted in self-expression and a deeper understanding of the world.
Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, Fukada said his new drama Nagi Notes, which is set in rural Japan and is premiering at the event, explores ideas around the human act of creation, including the process of making sculpture.
He argued that when AI is used to generate artwork or video, it bypasses the creative journey. In his view, this means creators lose sight of the process through which people are meant to explore and understand their surroundings.
Nagi Notes follows Yuri, a Tokyo-based architect played by Shizuka Ishibashi, who travels to the western Japanese village of Nagi to visit her friend and former sister-in-law Yoriko, portrayed by Takako Matsu. Yoriko agrees to pose for a sculpture, forming the emotional centre of the story.
The film also introduces two local boys, Keita (Kiyora Fujiwara) and Haruki (Waku Kawaguchi), whose developing bond is supported by the women, who provide them with a sense of safety as they explore their feelings.
Fukada also addressed questions about the portrayal of the boys’ relationship, suggesting there remains an imbalance in how audiences perceive same-sex relationships compared with heterosexual ones on screen.
He said he hopes that in the coming decades, representation of characters across all sexual orientations will become so normalised that such distinctions will no longer be a subject of debate.
Fukada’s previous film 'Love on Trial' was shown in the Cannes Premiere sidebar in 2025. His earlier work 'The Real Thing' was included in the festival’s official selection in 2020, while 'Harmonium' premiered in the Un Certain Regard section in 2016, where it won the Jury Prize.
Nagi Notes is among 22 films competing for the Palme d’Or, which is set to be awarded on 23 May.
Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains its pause on strikes, but Tehran remains sceptical of U.S. intentions, a senior ...
Uzbekistan captain Eldor Shomurodov has been shortlisted for the Hyundai Goal of the Tournament award at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with his strike agai...
Firefighters battled on Sunday to contain wildfires threatening the outskirts of Bordeaux, as authorities expanded evacuation orders and warned the bl...
Russian authorities said 11 people, including four children, had been killed by Ukraine in an overnight attack on a holiday camp, accusing Kyiv on Saturday of deliberately targeting civilians.
The U.S. military said it completed a fresh wave of strikes on Iran late on Thursday, marking the 13th consecutive night of American attacks. The latest operation lasted more than two hours, according to U.S. Central Command.
Six candidates vying to become the next United Nations Secretary-General have called for restoring the organisation's credibility, strengthening multilateralism and reforming the UN, during the first public town hall debate ahead of a decisive Security Council vote next week.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 25th of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto recently offered the dismissed Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Mykhailo Federov an adviser role in Italy.
SpaceX successfully launched its Starship megarocket on its 13th flight test Friday, deploying 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites and completing a soft splashdown of the spacecraft in the Indian Ocean.
Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appointed Kanishka Narayan as Minister for Artificial Intelligence, making it the first time the role has held cabinet-level status. The move signals a stronger government focus on AI as the UK seeks to strengthen its position in the sector.
Scientists have identified a planetary system in the Milky Way unlike anything seen before, leaving astronomers debating how to classify one of its unusual worlds. The discovery challenges long-held definitions of planets, moons and stars.
A U.S. federal judge has approved Anthropic's $1.5 billion settlement with authors and publishers over the company's acquisition and use of pirated books to train its Claude artificial intelligence chatbot, marking the first major resolution in the growing wave of AI copyright litigation.
More than 1,100 companies are presenting their latest artificial intelligence technologies at the 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, where innovation, international cooperation and AI governance are taking centre stage.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment