It should not matter what the intentions are behind using it, the use of artificial intelligence should not be condoned. In 09/05/1982, this line is blurred as the archival footage of the events surrounding this date are shown along with artificially created footage. Though it may not be simple to see the variation, knowing it is there makes all the difference.
On May 9, 1982 violence broke out in an unidentified Latin American city. The chaos believes to have been started by protestors who did not understand the values being made by the government. The scratchy and grainy footage reveals quotidian scenes and hints of political violence. There are streets overflowing with crowds while the police try to maintain them, broken windows and tires on fire, all summarized with graffiti that commemorates this day of insanity.
For a short film, it is able to capture the audience’s attention while beginning to showcase the beauty of the town. Filmmakers Jorge Caballero and Camilo Restrepo overlay their short with an audio recording explaining the government’s ideas of this tragic day. Once the riots begin, the footage becomes more violent and flickers more often between clips. There is so much happening for the eye to focus on. Without entirely knowing what is going on, it is easy to become lost in the quick changes.
Trying to explore the idea of memory, technology and propaganda, Caballero and Restrepo chose to create images unnaturally and thus spark a conversation with their audiences. Their idea explores how the past can be rewritten so easily, making the difference between real and synthetic a blur. A difficult decision was clearly made before they decided to go ahead with the creation of this film. There can be an argument made for the use of artificial intelligence when many people around the world believe it is treacherous for the industry. However, this use of a disruptive technology ultimately is able to push the boundaries of filmmaking into frightful territory.
“…a national act of remembrance, revealing what truly happened”
Yet the question becomes, what is the truth and what has been written over by the powers at be, or by the change in technologies as archival footage is found, or even corrupted. It can be admitted that the filmmakers almost brilliantly kept this AI use under wraps until the final moments, allowing the audience the time to digest what they see in the ten minutes prior to the reveal.
09/05/1982 is not so much of a show or tell film, it is a film bringing about discussion. Its purpose is not entirely to inform the viewer of the events of this date in history, but to make them think about how news is not as transparent as it may seem. Things are edited, changed or hidden from the public and Caballero and Restrepo’s idea to hide in the use of artificial intelligence in their film brings this conversation forward.
After its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, 09/05/1982 premiered at the New York Film Festival as part of the Currents Program 2: Afterimages on Friday October 3, 2025. Even if you do not end up having the chance to watch this short, think about the meaning and conversation it brings about.
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