Christina Duxa, Founder & Festival Director of AI FILMFEST ATHENS, speaks about the future of cinema, artificial intelligence, creativity, mythology, ethics, copyright and the role of Athens as an international meeting point for the new era of filmmaking.
Dimitrios Kannavos : What inspired you to create AI FILMFEST ATHENS, and why did you choose Athens as the meeting point between artificial intelligence and cinema?
Christina Duxa : Because everything began here. Athens is a city where theatre, geometry and philosophy were born together. From Pythagoras to Talos and the Antikythera Mechanism, the idea of technology has always existed in Greek thought.
Artificial intelligence may be new, but the questions it raises are ancient: What does it mean to create? What does it mean to be human? Where are the boundaries between invention and imitation?
Athens is therefore not simply a location for the festival. It is part of the story. It is a place where history and the future can meet and where we can discuss AI, creativity, ethics and copyright from a uniquely human perspective.
Dimitrios Kannavos : The festival’s motto is “Myths Meet Machine.” What does this phrase mean to you, and how does Greek mythology influence the festival?
Christina Duxa : “Myths Meet Machine” means that the oldest stories meet the newest technology.
Greek mythology is full of stories about technology, invention and the relationship between humans and machines. Prometheus brought fire to humanity. Daedalus created extraordinary inventions. Talos was an artificial guardian.
Today, AI becomes a new brush, a new instrument and a new way of telling stories. But the soul of the story remains human. Technology may change the way we create, but mythology reminds us why we create in the first place.
Dimitrios Kannavos : Do you believe AI represents the birth of a completely new form of cinema?
Christina Duxa : Yes, I believe it is a major opportunity. AI can dramatically reduce production costs and give more people access to filmmaking. It allows creators who previously could not afford cameras, locations, visual effects or large production teams to bring their ideas to life.
This means that we will hear more voices and see more stories from around the world. I believe the future will be hybrid, with traditional filmmaking and AI working together.
But AI cannot replace human emotion. Technology can help create the image, but it cannot replace the human experience behind the story.
Dimitrios Kannavos : What is the main difference between an AI-generated or AI-assisted film and a traditional film?
Christina Duxa : The biggest difference is the starting point. Traditional filmmaking is often constrained by budget, logistics, locations, equipment and production limitations.
With AI, the limitations can move. The starting point becomes imagination. A filmmaker can visualize things that might otherwise be impossible or extremely expensive to produce.
But I believe the ideal future is a hybrid one. The technology can provide extraordinary possibilities, but what ultimately matters is whether the film makes us feel something.
Dimitrios Kannavos : What have been the biggest challenges in establishing an international AI film festival in Greece?
Christina Duxa : I would say it has been less of a challenge and more of an honor.
My grandparents were guest workers in Germany. I was born and raised there, but my heart was always pointing towards Greece. I have now been living in Greece for a year, and creating something pioneering here feels incredibly meaningful.
There is always work involved when you create something new, but we have been fortunate to receive support from artists, partners and people who believe in what we are building.
Dimitrios Kannavos : What kind of filmmakers and creative voices do you hope AI FILMFEST ATHENS will attract?
Christina Duxa : The Best Voices in the World, United in Athens
We want to welcome the best voices from around the world. We already have filmmakers and creative voices coming from places such as Hong Kong, India, Los Angeles and different parts of Europe.
Our partners, including Magnifique and Greil, are helping us connect with an international creative community.
At the same time, young talents are extremely important to us. We want AI FILMFEST ATHENS to be a place where established filmmakers and emerging creators can meet, exchange ideas and inspire one another.
Dimitrios Kannavos : Where do you draw the line between AI as an artistic tool and AI as a replacement for the artist?
Christina Duxa : AI is a tool, not a replacement.
A machine can generate images, voices or sequences, but it does not have something to say on its own.
The idea, the conviction, the taste and the intention come from the artist. That is why copyright and ethics are such important parts of the conversation.
We should embrace the possibilities of AI while making sure that the human creator remains at the center of the creative process.
Dimitrios Kannavos : How important is human creative vision in AI filmmaking, and how do you see the filmmaker’s role evolving?
Christina Duxa : Human vision is everything.
AI can offer thousands of possibilities, but it cannot decide which story should be told or why it should be told.
I believe the filmmaker increasingly becomes a director, curator and decision-maker. Instead of only controlling a traditional production process, the filmmaker can explore possibilities, select, refine and guide AI towards a specific artistic vision.
The technology expands the toolbox, but the filmmaker still decides what deserves to become a story.
Dimitrios Kannavos : What is the most urgent international discussion the film industry needs to have about AI?
Christina Duxa : The most urgent topics are ethics and copyright.
AI can replicate faces, voices, performances and artistic styles. We need to establish clear rules about consent, transparency and ownership.
Artists should know how their work is being used, people should have control over their likeness and creators should receive fair compensation when their work contributes to AI systems or AI-generated productions.
Dimitrios Kannavos : You also have a strong connection with fashion and couture. How does fashion influence your approach to AI and cinema?
Christina Duxa : Everything begins with a story.
A fashion collection also needs a narrative. It creates a world, an atmosphere and an emotional language.
The tool is less important than the storytelling. Whether you use fabric, photography, film or artificial intelligence, there is always a human being making the creative decisions.
The machine can provide material and possibilities, but the human remains the creator.
Dimitrios Kannavos : What is the connection between fashion, cinema and AI in your creative vision?
Christina Duxa : There is a very strong connection between them because all three are driven by imagination, visual language and storytelling.
Fashion creates worlds through design and visual identity. Cinema creates worlds through moving images, characters, sound and narrative. AI expands the tools that allow creators to build these worlds.
But again, the human idea remains the starting point. Technology can expand our creative vocabulary, but the vision must come from the creator.
Dimitrios Kannavos : Why is Athens the right city for an international AI film festival, and what role can Greece play in the future of AI-driven cinema?
Christina Duxa : Greece lies between Europe, Asia and the Middle East, a natural meeting point for voices from around the world. This is exactly the role of bridge that Athens can also take on in AI-driven cinema.
And there is no better place for it than the Ellinikon, where the festival takes place. One of Europe’s most ambitious urban development projects is emerging here: a district of the future with cutting-edge architecture, design and a large park by the sea. Future and history meet in one place.
I am convinced that through the festival, this location and the appeal of Athens, we will build a strong, international AI community that helps shape Europe.
Dimitrios Kannavos : What do you want audiences and filmmakers to take away from the first edition of AI FILMFEST ATHENS?
Christina Duxa : Above all, I want people to leave Athens inspired and encouraged. Anyone with an idea can bring it to life today, and that is a powerful feeling.
I hope they take away connections: encounters with the best voices in the world and the beginning of a community that will keep growing long after the festival ends. I want them to leave with orientation, a clearer sense of where film is heading, including the big questions of copyright and ethics.
I want them to take away a conviction: AI is a tool, and the human being and their story always come first. If people leave Athens with new ideas, new friends and that belief, then this first edition has achieved what matters most.
Dimitrios Kannavos : Where do you see AI FILMFEST ATHENS five years from now?
Christina Duxa : A Festival in the Temple
My vision for the next five years: we all sit together in one hall in Athens, everyone wearing virtual reality glasses or contact lenses, and suddenly we are in ancient Greece.
We are sitting in a temple, and the film festival takes place in the midst of myth. Myths Meet Machine, literally brought to life.
Technology takes us to where the stories began. And yet it remains what it has always been about: people coming together in one place to share stories.
Athens remains the heart, and technology opens the door to a new dimension of cinema.
Dimitrios Kannavos : Finally, what is your advice to a young filmmaker who wants to enter the world of AI cinema?
Christina Duxa : Story First, Then the Tool!
My advice to young filmmakers: story first, then the tool. Tools change constantly, a strong idea endures.
What matters most is storytelling and creativity. People are moved by stories, by emotion, by love, by drama. No technology in the world can replace what arises from real experience and real imagination.
So: collect stories, live them, feel them. Be curious, bold and creative. And then use AI to carry your vision out into the world.
Because the tools can do a lot, but the idea that moves people comes from you.
