DEEPMIND | Darren aronosfky x Veo

Human-first AI filmmaking

ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE | FILM

A cinematic meditation on memory, motherhood, and machine intuition

Ancestra is a deeply personal short film by Eliza McNitt that explores lineage, loss, and the hidden threads passed down through generations. It uses AI as a vessel for emotional storytelling. The short film was development in close partnership with Darren Aronofsky and his new studio Primordial Soup.

I joined the project as Executive Producer and DeepMind’s Creative lead, working closely with Eliza, Primordial Soup, and the Google DeepMind and Creative Lab teams. From early development to final delivery, I helped shape the program vision and build a creative processes where generative tools could support a human, intuitive approach.

The team designed a custom workflow using Gemini and Veo, allowing Eliza to translate her inner world into a visual language of symbols, textures, and gestures. I also contributed directly as an artist, helping craft some of the AI-generated shots that appear in the film.

The result is a haunting, lyrical piece that blends family history with speculative visuals. It premiered at Tribeca in 2025 and has already sparked new conversations about what it means to create with machines—without losing yourself in the process.

Role
Executive Producer, Creative Partner, Artist
Created by Google DeepMind in collaboration with Eliza McNitt, Darren Aronosfky, Primordial Soop and the Google Creative Lab