The development of deepfakes is mind-blowingly interesting. Yet, the subject has barely been discussed deeply. What are the possibilities for artists? The boundaries, the consequences for reality? 

Deepfakes are hauntingly real 'fakes'. With the combination of A.I. and animation techniques you can for instance mock Donald Trump as a Mr. Bean. Deepfakes can make life more absurd then reality already is but will often be hauntingly realistic.

What is real and what is fake? What if we could talk to ‘deepfaked'-dead people as a form of therapy for those who miss them? Ehm…we already can. Even better/worse: the Director of Deepfake Therapy is present. And so is wildcard awarded 3d artist Sohaib Bouaiss who shares his intriguing artistic uses and vision on Deepfake and machine learning with us. 

How far can we go? Find out during this talk. We promise: the talk is real!

Moderator: Philosopher and Media-Artist Victorine van Alphen 
Victorine moderates this talk from a future perspective. She directed many futuristic ‘black-mirroresque' experiences and performances such as ‘IVF-X: posthuman parenting in hybrid reality’, ‘The Eight Day’ and ‘Artifical Intimacy & Authentic Intelligence’.

Speakers
Sohaib Bouaiss: NFF Wild card awarded director 'A white screen is Visible'
Sohaib Bouaiss is an upcoming visual artist from Rotterdam, the Netherlands. His 3D work often portrays surrealistic environments and atmospheres, created through novel 3D rendering techniques including machine learning techniques. He graduated in 2020 from the Willem de Kooning Academy with his short film 'A White Screen Is Visible', which received a Wildcard Award from The Netherlands Film Fund.

Roshan Nejal: Director Deepfake Therapy
Roshan Nejal graduated with his intruiging and debatable work Deepfake Therapy (2020) about relatives who speak to deepfakes of their deceased loved ones. His work received a lot of attention both from the media as well as from many people who wanted to meet their deceased relatives in digital. Before Roshan started the Dutch Film Academy, he worked for more than four years as an independent filmmaker for the Dutch Public Broadcasting (NPO). Where he was responsible for the content of philosophical programs.

This program screened as part of Kaboom Animation Festival 2020-2021