A.I. Mama is a post-cyberpunk short featuring Kei, a young programmer who attempts to resurrect their lost mother by coding an A.I. that can input childhood memories. Shot handheld on raw black & white Super 8, this frenetic 5 minute live action mixed with animation builds into a personable and monumental collapse of the binaries of mother and child, creator and creation. This film reminds us of the experimental, psychological thrillers Tetsuo (1989) and Pi (1989) which both took their fascination with human being and machine.

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Japanese-Taiwanese filmmaker, based in Los Angeles, Asuka Lin, 'A.I. Mama explores all these symbiotic relationships within our lives, including my personal perspective on gender. Kei's written gender identity is non-binary, and it coincides with the film’s desire to break different types of binaries — such as machine/human, mother/child, creation/creator, man/woman. I think all these divisions actually overlap and merge in multilayered ways; it’s never one or the other. This approach lended the filming process to be experimental and ever-evolving, and I'm forever thankful for the A.I. Mama cast and crew to hold such a welcoming space for creation.'

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