ARTIFICIAL | Award winning short film - A worker’s rights Sci-Fi

In a near-future New York, an information-addicted worker in AR marketing is pushed to compete with a generative AI system that threatens her job, her creativity, and her sanity. “Artificial” is a sci-fi short film about burnout, identity, and the cost of surviving the future of work.

Winner of Best Narrative at Workers Unite Film Festival (NYC) and Envision Award Winner at ARFF Barcelona.
If you like stories about AI, augmented reality, and the pressure to stay human in a world optimized for attention, this film is for you.

Rhode Island International Film Festival - Semi-Finalist
Madrid International Film Festival - Official Selection

CAST

Alex- Julia Crowley
Josef - Drew Gardner
Boss - Esteban Creste
Mia - Lis Russo
Iris - Shira Solomon



ABOUT THE FILM

“Artificial” was created as a reaction to the accelerating pressure of automation, generative AI, and the feeling of being constantly optimized. Set in a near-future version of New York, the film follows Alex, an overwhelmed worker trapped between her corporate AR job and a new AI tool—Focus IO—that analyzes her eye data and measures her every second.

When the system begins to push her beyond her limits, she spirals into a fractured reality. A chance encounter with her tech-free friend Josef forces her to question what she values: productivity at all costs, or the creative life she left behind.

Shot on a small self-funded budget, the film blends sci-fi, psychological tension, and a grounded emotional story about staying human in a world built for metrics.




CREW

Extras
Zach Stoner, Michelle Gailhac, Tamanna Chabra, Twinkle Khanna, Hans Dolce, Audri Chagoya, Alek Barbour, Andrea Leon, Ariella Bana, Jordan Eidisz,

Executive producer - Jeffrey Carrillo
Assistant Director, DIT, Script Supervisor - Rachel Rojas
Sound - Christian Guinanzaca
Art and set production - Andrea Leon
Gaffers - Jode Sparks, Nate Pfingst
Make Up - Erica Long
Wardrobe - Stefany Silva
Editors - Jeffrey Carrillo, Isabella Vidal, Rachel Rojas
Graphic Design - Mishell Cardenas, Jeffrey Carrillo, Andrea Leon, Kevin Hernández
Sound Post-Production - Rocio Morgenstern
Sound Design - Rocio Morgenstern, Jeffrey Carrillo

Music Composer - Shira Solomon

Motion Graphics - Juan Bayas, Jeffrey Carrillo, Martin Torres, Kevin Hernández

Compositing - Martin Torres, Juan Bayas, Juan Diego Enriquez, Kevin Urbina

3D animation - Martin Torres

Colorization - Jeffrey Carrillo, Juan Diego Enriquez

Production Assistants - Yilan Liu, Andrea Leon, Rachel Rojas, Brendan Mark, Darek Dylo, Kimani Worghs, BTS Photography, Brendan Mark,

Special thanks to Dan Orwig Sam Katz and Ellen Askey