Q&A: This UGA grad founded an AI film festival. Here's how college classes inspired her. (2025)

Natalia Gonzalez came to the University of Georgia to study science, but when her directorial debut "Supercut" went on to become an official selection of the 2023 Backlight Film Festival, it seemed her career path might change.

After graduating from UGA in May 2024, Gonzalez went on to found the Atlanta International AI Film Festival (AIAIFF), which is set to debut this month.

The AIAIFF is scheduled to take place at MODEx Studio in Atlanta from 4-9 p.m. on Saturday, March 22. Gonzalez spoke to Banner-Herald arts and culture reporter Andrew Shearer about how she got the idea to start an AI film festival and the reasons why she sees generative AI as another piece of useful technology in the digital filmmaking age.

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Andrew Shearer: In our last interview, your debut film 'Supercut' was about to play at a student film festival. What made you want to start your own festival, and why focus on AI instead of traditional filmmaking?

Natalia Gonzalez: After graduating, I took an AI filmmaking course just out of curiosity. I wanted to see how these tools were being used in film. Before I switched my major to EMST (Entertainment & Media Studies), I was actually a cognitive science major, which I kept as a minor, and I never thought those two things would ever connect. But now, they’re merging in such an interesting way.

That course blew my mind. AI isn’t just some gimmick; it’s changing the way we make films through helping streamline production, improve workflows, and making filmmaking way more accessible. You don’t need a crazy high budget or expensive gear to create a cool sci-fi film concept. That realization made me want to build a space where indie filmmakers in Georgia, especially students and artists who are already pushing creative boundaries, can explore these tools and see what’s possible.

Shearer: A.I. is a controversial topic in the arts. Some feel it takes away the spontaneity and raw creativity that make filmmaking special. How do you see AI filmmakers using it to tell their stories?

Gonzalez: I totally get why people are skeptical, but I see AI as just another tool. It’s not here to replace creativity, it’s here to support it. It's like when digital cameras replaced film cameras, or (when) software editing came to be. Art will always come from humans. AI just helps bring ideas to life in new ways.

(AI) can be spontaneous because your prompts and inputs shape the results. It’s like collaborating with the unknown. And for indie filmmakers, it can be a game-changer. Instead of spending hours searching for stock images that kind of fit their vision, they can generate the exact storyboard that they need. It frees up time and energy so they can focus on what really matters: the story.

Shearer: What challenges have you faced in starting your own film festival? Did your experience as a student filmmaker help?

Gonzalez: Being a student filmmaker prepared me for this in ways I didn’t even realize at the time. When I made "Supercut," I had no clue what I was doing. I wasn’t even in the EMST program yet. I was still in my cognitive science classes. I borrowed everything, crowdfunded with friends and family, and shot a 15-page script in six locations around Athens, all while figuring it out as I went. Looking back, I’m really glad I didn’t let the fear of not knowing how stop me from just doing it.

Starting a festival comes with a lot of challenges (such as) securing venues, finding funding, getting people on board, etc. But at the end of the day, the worst thing that can happen is someone says, "No." And that’s fine. You just find another way. If anything, being an indie filmmaker taught me that things rarely go as planned, but you have to keep moving forward.

Shearer: What are your hopes for the AI Film Fest and the future of AI filmmaking?

Gonzalez: I want this festival to help indie filmmakers realize that AI isn’t the enemy. It’s just another tool that can make the filmmaking process easier, more efficient, and even more creative. My hope is that people walk away feeling empowered to experiment with these tools, whether it’s for pre-production, editing, or storytelling in general. Of course, there is an ethical side to the conversation and we aren't shying away from it. I invite (Banner-Herald) readers to attend the festival to hear insightful talks about "The Ethics of Originality".

In the long term, I think AI will level the playing field. It won’t replace actors, writers, or directors, but it will change how films are made and open up opportunities for people who might not have access to big budgets or industry connections. Indie filmmaking is already hard − getting funding, getting noticed, getting your work out there − but if AI can help make that process a little bit easier, that’s worth exploring.

MODEx Studio is located at 3005 Peachtree Rd. in Atlanta. For tickets and event details, visit aiaiff.com.