PIFF | Visualising the Unfilmable
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17 Apr10:00 - 18:00Natlab | Film, Theater, Café, Restaurant, EindhovenNatlab
The documentary Mohammed & Paul – Once Upon a Time in Tangier – that had world premiere at IDFA 2025- follows director NordinLasfar and cinematographer/AI artist Jean Counet as they explore Mrabet’s complex friendship with American writer Paul Bowles, who translated his cassette-recorded tales for Western audiences—raising questions of creative synergy versus colonial exploitation in 1950s Tangier.
Blending three decades of cinematography experience with generative AI, the filmmakers visualize Mrabet’s magical, intimate, and abstract stories—like talking fish or palaces inside melons—without relying on traditional reenactments.
In this case study, they reveal their hybrid workflow and reflect on using AI not as a gimmick, but as a vital tool to preserve soul and authenticity while bringing unseen inner worlds to life.