A $2,000 AI Film on Iran’s Protests Is Headed to Tribeca. Not Everyone Is Happy.

A feature-length docudrama about the protest violence in Iran, made for just $2,000 and generated entirely by artificial intelligence, is set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10. Titled Dreams of Violets, the 75-minute film was directed and produced by brothers Ash and Pooya Koosha under their studio Fountain 0. Every frame was created using AI tools.

The film arrives at a moment of heightened tension, as the US-Israel conflict with Iran continues and few Iranian filmmakers have the platform to tell these stories on an international stage. That makes the film’s subject matter both timely and contentious.

I attended an AI filmmaking conference in Culver City this week called AI on the Lot, where the questions raised by this project dominated conversations. Many speakers were optimistic that AI video tools could open doors for underrepresented creators who can’t afford traditional production costs. Dreams of Violets, completed in two months for $2,000, is a clear example.

But the film also stirs unease. Critics argue that using AI to portray deeply human suffering—without the lived experience or emotional truth of those who endured it—raises serious ethical questions. The film has already sparked heated debate online, especially on Reddit, where opinions are split. Some applaud the Koosha brothers for bypassing studio gatekeepers; others point to the work of Oscar-nominated Iranian director Jafar Panahi, whose 2025 Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident tackled similar themes without AI. Panahi is currently facing legal proceedings in Iran on charges of propaganda against the regime.

Before moving into film, the Koosha brothers made AI-generated music. Ash released an album in 2018 called Return O, featuring Yona, an AI pop star created by Pooya at their company Auxuman.

Fountain 0 Studios did not respond to a request for comment.