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The Korea National University of Arts (K-Arts, President Kim Dae-jin) Convergence Arts Center’s Art & Technology Lab (AT Lab) has announced that its generative AI-based virtual reality production <8 PM and the Cat> has been officially invited to the Venice Immersive competition section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.

Recognized as one of the most prestigious international festivals in film and advanced media, the Venice International Film Festival has selected 8 PM and the Cat as the only Korean work among the entries in this year’s Immersive section, which features participants from 27 countries.

                                                                                                                                                  <8pm and the cat> image of a work

<8 PM and the Cat> tells the story of Haru, a cartoonist who loses their partner in a sudden accident in Itaewon. Director Choi Min-hyuk, a Master’s student in Multimedia and Video at K-Arts’ School of Film, TV & Multimedia, uses AI-powered real-time image and monologue generation technology to express the flow of emotions surrounding grief and the altered space-time left by loss. The work invites audiences to join Haru’s journey of mourning and remembrance.

The festival described the piece as “a creative and moving work that uses artificial intelligence in a poetic and delicate way to evoke deep emotions.”

※ Full link to the Interview:

- https://xrmust.com/xrmagazine/liz-rosenthal-michel-reilhac-venice-immersive-2025/

The work was first prototyped in collaboration with students from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) during an international exchange course led by the AT Lab, and was later completed through the lab’s flagship production course and its Creative Advancement Program.

Producer and AT Lab Director Professor Lee Seung-moo, who also teaches in the Department of Film at K-Arts’ School of Film, TV & Multimedia, remarked, “It is especially meaningful that the AI-based education, research, and creation-linked model we have been developing at AT Lab since 2020 has been recognized. Our aim—and the direction embodied in this work—is to use artificial intelligence not merely as a novelty or a tool for efficiency, but as a partner that expands the creator’s vision and sensibility.”

The AT Lab at K-Arts is a creative production and research institute dedicated to integrating science and technology with culture, art, industry, and education. With works such as <Scarecrow> and <Rain Fruits>, the lab has been invited to leading global festivals including Sundance, Cannes, and Tribeca, earning numerous awards. Following the invitation of <Fly To You> to South by Southwest (SXSW) in March and the Best Immersive Theatre win for <Scarecrow:Rekindle> at the Raindance Film Festival in June, this official selection at Venice further affirms its global creative capabilities rooted in convergence arts education. In addition, through initiatives such as the Global Culture Technology (CT) Professional Training Program supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, and the AI Drama Production Project with Studio Dragon, AT Lab is leading R&D and global industrialization in AI storytelling.