AI Takes Center Stage at San Sebastian Festival’s Tech Challenge
Lithuanian sound design platform Sonic Alchemist and Spanish voice dubbing software Dubme were the top winners at the 5th Zinemaldia & Technology Startup Challenge, held as part of the San Sebastian Film Festival. The event, which highlighted the increasing influence of artificial intelligence in the audiovisual industry, awarded both companies €10,000 ($11,168).
An entrepreneur prize of €3,000 ($3,350) was presented to Denmark’s Kaspar K1, an editing program that leverages text prompts to search through vast video libraries. This year’s victors are also eligible for free access to an incubation space for their first year post-event at Basque Technology Park Network Business Innovation Centers (BICs). They are additionally qualified for potential funding of up to €500,000 ($559,000) from subsidies managed by the Basque BIC Network and backed by the Basque Government.
The Zinemaldia & Technology Startup Challenge, which began in 2019, has quickly become a barometer for the latest trends in film technology. As AI’s capabilities have expanded, this year’s event saw AI take over almost every discussion.
During the pitches, roundtable discussions, and more casual conversations, artificial intelligence dominated the landscape. Much of the focus centered on the ethical and legal considerations surrounding AI’s use, given its increasing prevalence.
Beyond AI’s applications, another key trend was the rise of independent content creators in the screen industries. Nearly half of the presentations were directed at independent creators, including YouTubers, influencers, and independent animators.
Sonic Alchemist, the European champion, uses computer vision to synchronize and modulate film sound effects, providing editable multitrack sketches. Kaspar K1 functions as a search engine, searching for particular shots in an editor’s media library, ultimately enabling AI-generated rough cuts.
Other European entrants included:
- Filmanize: A UK-based company that is developing a platform to streamline the filmmaking process by automating processes like pre-production, script analysis, and call sheet creation.
- Phont: A German-developed software that leverages AI to revitalize subtitle presentation on-screen, similar to how comic book fonts convey emotion.
- Thol: A sound design suite for content creators and companies that scans video footage and creates sound effects to match on-screen action.
Dubme, the Spanish winner, presented one of the day’s more professional pitches. Company executive Elías Moreno, a former 10-year YouTube executive for Southern Europe outlined Dubme’s plans to “eliminate language barriers in professional audiovisual content using artificial intelligence and human professionals” by streamlining the dubbing process and slashing costs.
Additional participants in the competition included:
- Current Anima: A fellow Spanish startup with software to generate 3D virtual videos using text prompts.
- Emotional Films: From Spain’s Professor Octopus AI Lab, this is a new audiovisual format that combines video games and films and monitors user emotions.
- Hulahoop: An investment platform that allows individuals to invest in film projects and offers an ROI by tracking each person’s stake via blockchain.
- Vocality: A company that creates cloned voices with generative AI.
