UFO Sighting in the Lower East Side

Is it possible for a struggling independent film director to make a science fiction film today for less than a million dollars? It doesn’t seem likely but it could be possible if the director is driven, highly creative and blessed with a team of uniquely gifted collaborators. That was certainly the case for Russian émigré Slava Tsukerman in 1982 when he embarked on his American feature film debut, Liquid Sky. Made for approximately $500,000 and produced during a 28-day shooting schedule, the film became an overnight sensation, winning special awards at film festivals around the globe and attracting adventurous filmgoers to a long run at New York City midnight movie screenings.

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The Perfect AI Companion

The German film poster for the sci-fi comedy I’M YOUR MAN (2021).

Artificial intelligence (AI) appears to be influencing almost every aspect of human life these days and that includes everything from robopets (as a replacement for the real thing) to the online dating industry. There are even humanoid robots powered by AI but, as yet, no one has created an android that could pass for a real person and interact with them without anyone being able to tell the difference. But it is only a matter of time and Ich Bin Dein Mensch (English title: I’m Your Man, 2021), directed by German filmmaker Maria Schrader, takes this premise and turns it into a thought provoking cautionary tale that is alternately amusing, disturbing, sexy and subversive without ever falling into the trap of being just a futuristic romantic comedy.

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