I’ve got a fantastic sci-fi short film for you to watch today titled I Am Not a Robot, and the film is in the final 15 short films in consideration for Best Short at this year’s Academy Awards. I first had a chance to see the movie at FilmQuest and it’s pretty awesome that it actually has a shot at landing an Oscar nomination.
In the film, “After repeatedly failing Captcha tests, music producer Lara becomes obsessed with a disturbing question: could she be a robot?”
The movie comes from director Victoria Warmerdam, and when talking about the film, she said it’s “a short film delving into the complexities of human identity, technology, and AI, where I explore my apprehensions about these blurred boundaries.
“It’s a narrative that also touches upon themes of labeling, embracing uniqueness, and advocating for equality and feminism.”
When talking about her inspiration, she said: “My inspiration for this story sparked when I repeatedly encountered the ‘I’m not a robot’ captcha while trying to access a specific website or program.
“After several failed attempts, a wry thought crossed my mind—what if I actually turned out to be a robot? The idea of my life unraveled by this revelation intrigued me.
“It led me to contemplate how my existence might change if the very foundation of my beliefs crumbled beneath me, leaving me with no solid ground to stand on.
“This introspection served as the catalyst for writing this narrative, a way to give shape to my anxieties straddling the intersection of technology and humanity.”
The movie won the Grand Jury Best Short Film prize at FilmQuest Film Festival and also won Best Short at Sitges.
