Factual

Fremantle’s AI-native label Imaginae Studios has announced its first original project, Art Awakens, a short-form series that leverages generative AI to reinterpret some of the world’s most iconic paintings. Positioned at the intersection of technology and storytelling, the series explores how AI can expand narrative possibilities while maintaining a strong connection to artistic heritage and cultural authenticity.
Art Awakens revisits masterpieces spanning over five centuries—from Jan van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait to Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks—transforming them into cinematic sequences that invite viewers to step  the visual and emotional universe of each artwork.
The project has been developed in collaboration with Spanish AI filmmaker Hilario Abad, an internationally recognised figure in the emerging field of AI-driven cinema.
Featured artworks include: The Scream (Edvard Munch, 1893); Nighthawks (Edward Hopper, 1942); The Great Wave (Hokusai, 1831); The Starry Night (Vincent van Gogh, 1889); The Arnolfini Portrait (Jan van Eyck, 1434); Whistler’s Mother (James McNeill Whistler, 1871).

James Duffen, CEO of Imaginae Studios, described the project as emblematic of the studio’s mission: “Generative AI represents a new creative language. When applied with care and artistic sensitivity, it enables storytelling approaches that were previously inaccessible. Art Awakens is not about enhancing great works, but about revealing the narratives already embedded within them.”
Andrea Scrosati, Group COO of Fremantle and CEO Continental Europe, highlighted the project as a milestone for the label: “This first production reflects our ambition to empower new creative voices and experiment with AI-driven tools. It demonstrates how technology, guided by creative vision, can generate culturally relevant content with global appeal.”