Director Ava DuVernay is using artificial intelligence to animate archival photos in her new documentary, "14th," aiming to connect viewers more deeply with historical periods.
Key points
- Ava DuVernay animated archival photos using AI in her documentary "14th.".
- The AI animation aims to bring viewers closer to historical periods.
- DuVernay defended the use of AI as a post-production tool.
- Other filmmakers have also integrated AI into their projects.
- Netflix has used generative AI in 300 projects.
DuVernay clarified that the AI was not used to fabricate individuals or approximate voices, but rather to animate public domain photos. She believes this technique brings people closer to the historical time period, which was the film's objective.
The documentary "14th" explores how tenets of the 14th Amendment have shaped the U.S. and faced challenges. DuVernay noted that post-production tools gave the photos a 3D quality, similar to a stereoscope.
She emphasized the need for filmmakers to be "sober about the ways in which that technology is [used] across so much of the workflow." Other filmmakers, like Danny Boyle, have also used AI to animate old photos, and Ben Affleck praised its "ethical" use in his movie "Animals."
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos previously stated that the company utilized generative AI in 300 projects during a Q2 earnings call.
Sources and references
Original report
Ava DuVernay invites you to make up your own mind about AI in her new doc
The A.V. Club
Read on The A.V. Club (opens in a new tab)Linked in the original report
Ref 00TUSVAJ
Cite this
APA
Interestana AI Editorial. (2026, October 26). Ava DuVernay Uses AI to Animate Photos in New Doc. Interestana. https://interestana.com/articles/ava-duvernay-invites-you-to-make-up-your-own-mind-about-ai-in-her-new-doc-00tusvaj
MLA
“Ava DuVernay Uses AI to Animate Photos in New Doc.” Interestana, 26 Oct. 2026, interestana.com/articles/ava-duvernay-invites-you-to-make-up-your-own-mind-about-ai-in-her-new-doc-00tusvaj.
Chicago
Interestana AI Editorial. “Ava DuVernay Uses AI to Animate Photos in New Doc.” Interestana, October 26, 2026. https://interestana.com/articles/ava-duvernay-invites-you-to-make-up-your-own-mind-about-ai-in-her-new-doc-00tusvaj.
BibTeX
@misc{interestana_00tusvaj,
author = {{Interestana AI Editorial}},
title = {{Ava DuVernay Uses AI to Animate Photos in New Doc}},
howpublished = {Interestana},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
url = {https://interestana.com/articles/ava-duvernay-invites-you-to-make-up-your-own-mind-about-ai-in-her-new-doc-00tusvaj},
note = {Summary of reporting by The A.V. Club, https://www.avclub.com/ava-duvernay-14th-documentary-ai-use}
}Credit the source
Original reporting: The A.V. Club, “Ava DuVernay invites you to make up your own mind about AI in her new doc”, https://www.avclub.com/ava-duvernay-14th-documentary-ai-use(opens in a new tab)
Follow this story
Get Artificial Intelligence in your inbox — new stories in 40 words or fewer, once a week.
Subscribe