As the discourse over the use of AI in Hollywood gets louder and louder, China is looking ahead to the future with a new initiative that will use artificial intelligence to restore some martial arts classics. Announced at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival, the move comes as part of the Kung Fu Film Heritage Project, which will see the China Film Foundation and its partners take an AI brush to at least 100 movies, with titles like Bruce Lee‘s Fists of Fury and Jackie Chan‘s Drunken Master included.
At the outset, 10 films will take priority, and will be digitally restored using AI tools meant to improve image, sound, and overall production quality. That is to say you won’t see an AI Lee added in just for the sake of things, as the overall storytelling and aesthetic of the originals will be preserved. “AI is the brush, but creativity is the soul,” said Canxing Media chair, Tian Ming, continuing:
“Classic kung fu films embody China’s spiritual backbone. We’re inviting global partners to join this cultural and technological reboot.”
Additional movies announced to also be getting the AI treatment include Lee’s 1971 classic The Big Boss, and the 1991 Jet Li favorite, Once Upon a Time in China. The long-term project is said to be one that will work to revive “the cultural and cinematic legacy of Chinese martial arts cinema.” As China Film Foundation chair Zhang Qilin explained it:
“From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan, from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to Wolf Warrior, these films have shown the world the vitality and spirit of the Chinese people. They are our cinematic calling cards to the world.”
More to come…
Source: Variety
Fists of Fury
- Release Date
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October 2, 1971
- Runtime
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99
- Director
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Wei Lo, Chia-hsiang Wu
- Writers
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Wei Lo
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