Even After (Prelude), 4min., USA
Directed by Anthony Leckie
An ancient realm awakens. Somewhere between the living and the dead, a long forgotten forest begins to blossom.

http://anthonyleckie.com/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I’ve wanted to make films for a long time. Early in my journey as an artist, I knew I wanted to approach filmmaking in a way that combined different artistic modalities — creating characters through sculpture and painting, building environments, and composing music. My goal was to develop a cinematic storytelling language that felt distinct and carried the emotional power of these art forms.

The question was always how to achieve it. As a one-person team, traditional CG wasn’t feasible. It usually requires large teams and, even when done well, often feels “unreal.” I wanted my work to feel photographic, grounded, and tangible — not like typical CG.

When AI reached a turning point in 2022, it became possible to generate genuinely photographic images on consumer hardware. After months of exploration, I realized this was the technology that could allow me to achieve what I’d like to do.

From there, the challenge became building systems that allowed me to use AI in a way that supported my process. I didn’t want to just type prompts and accept whatever came out; that felt hollow and disconnected from my practice. Like many artists, I share concerns about how these models are trained and how they can sideline human creativity. For me, it was essential to use AI in a way that still centered my intent, my process, and my sensibility.

Even After (Prelude) became the experiment — the first true test of the systems and workflows I’d been developing for nearly two years. My process remained rooted in manual work: painting landscapes, creating characters, composing music. AI acted like a rendering engine, transforming that work into photographic images. I trained LoRAs (small AI models) on my compositions so that additional shots would still reflect my voice and style.

That balance — between manual creation and generative technology — was essential. It allowed me to do more as an independent filmmaker than ever before, while keeping the work grounded in my voice.

Despite the limitations of the technology, I believe this is the best version of the film I could have made at this moment. I’m proud of it. I think it’s beautiful, it carries the vision I set out with, and it demonstrates what’s possible when AI empowers, rather than replaces, the artist.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

The core production took about six months — from July 2024 through January 2025. That time was spent painting, composing music, rendering my paintings into photographic images, generating video from those images, and finally editing everything into a film.

Before that, there were nearly two years of groundwork. I was exploring AI technology as it developed, learning what was possible, where the limits were, and how I could adapt it into a process that felt true to me as an artist.

A lot of that time was spent wrestling with a technology that is still very early in its development — most of the tools aren’t designed with artists in mind. But that long exploration was essential to shaping a workflow that felt compatible with how I wanted to work.

3. How would you describe your short film in two words!?

Arriving home.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing the film?

The biggest challenge was working with a technology that often removes the artist from the process. A key goal for me was making sure the film reflected my voice and sensibility.

Getting there meant running AI models locally on my computer and building systems that could actually follow my brushstrokes and color palette, rather than generating something on their own. That required extensive experimentation, and I leaned heavily on the open-source AI community.

Programs like ComfyUI and ControlNET—developed and shared by people around the world—were essential. Unlike the big corporations driving AI, this community has allowed artists to develop more control. Their openness made this film possible, and I’m grateful for that.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

It was immediately validating. I felt a noticeable sense of relief. I’ve been wrestling with the question of whether people connect with the deeper themes or just see something “pretty” and move on. Hearing people reflect on the work in their own ways—connecting it to their lives and touching on the themes I’m exploring—showed me the film can create meaning for both me and the audience. That sense of connection tells me I’m on the right path.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

When I left high school at 18, I knew I wanted to channel my love for art into film, even though I had no idea how I’d get there.

Prior to that, I think on an unconscious level I was drawn to it. As a kid, the way I would escape was to daydream intensely—watching movies in my mind’s eye that I wished existed.

My process today often starts in a similar way, with a visualized world that I then work to realize.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

That’s actually a hard question for me to answer. I’m honestly not sure. What I can say is I grew up watching a lot of 80s/90s sci-fi films.

I’ve noticed the way those films were scored has influenced how I think about music. I feel like I connect with and find the most meaning in music when it exists in a cinematic context.

Perhaps it’s idealizing the past or remembering things how I’d like to remember them, but I feel it was more common for films from that era to be more experimental or adventurous with how they were scored. I remember music feeling like it defined the way the world from the story felt. Music more often existed as a character in the film instead of being background or just another layer of polish.

Music playing a key role, front and center, has been consistent in films I’ve loved from across my lifetime.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

The Experimental, Dance & Music festival goes above and beyond when compared to other festivals I’ve participated in. I’ve enjoyed my festival experience overall but this has been a stand out.

I’m very interested in doing press/interviews. Other festivals have not been as interested in taking time to talk. I really enjoy being given the opportunity to talk about my work and share some of my story.

I would also love more opportunities to hear what audiences thought of my film. It’s great to hear from people who enjoyed it but I’d also like to hear from people who didn’t. It would be nice to get a wide range of responses and interpretations from people. I’m very curious what people think about my approach and use of AI.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experience been working on the festival platform site?

It’s been mostly positive. I’ve embraced that walking the path of an artist/filmmaker can be overwhelming with everything there is to tend to, but having one platform to find and submit to festivals makes things feel more manageable. I still have a lot to learn about navigating the festival world, but FilmFreeway has been a good anchor in that process.

10. What is your favorite meal?

It’s hard to narrow it down to just one. What I’ll say is recently I’ve been trying to eat food that is less processed than what I used to eat. The standout dish for me right now is red beans and rice with stir fry vegetables, sweet potato, mango habanero salsa, and tofu.

I tend to find something I enjoy and then eat it continually until I’m bored of it. That’s the one I’m currently enjoying.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

Yes.

For Even After, I have clear ideas for developing the world I’ve begun to establish. There’s a story I want to explore musically and visually, centered on self-forgiveness and finding unity within the constellation of experiences that shape a life. The concept is an abandoned reality, long predating Earth, that’s somewhat broken and reflects one’s truth in visceral ways. Memories come to life, and the subconscious rises to the surface. I want to tell the story of someone wandering through that world and coming to terms with who they have been.

The technology to fully realize this doesn’t exist yet. The seeds are there, but it will take years to mature.

In the meantime, I’m starting a new project. In October, I’ll be announcing an anthology of short films. Each film is self-contained, with its own scenario and world, but all share a thematic context. They’ll release sequentially as they’re completed — ideally one per year. This approach lets me continue creating while the technology evolves, allowing each new film to push further.

I’ve been laying the foundation for the first two short films over the past several months. They feel distinct from Even After, especially in music. While Even After relied on organic sounds and textures, this project leans more electronic. The films explore themes of extinction and illusions collapsing to reveal hidden truth.

I’m composing the music to sculpt a sense of dissolution — a breaking down into something sparse and essential. It’s hard to describe, but I think listeners will understand when they hear it. I’m very excited about it.