After a heated art auction ends with a masterpiece destroyed, a retired INTERPOL director must return to unravel cryptic digital clues before other treasured works fall to an escalating threat.
ARTIST I AM is a gripping sci-fi thriller that follows a veteran INTERPOL director called out of retirement to investigate a series of attacks targeting the art world. When his team uncovers a sinister plot involving a rogue AI, they must navigate a labyrinth of deception, grapple with the nature of creativity, and confront the consequences of humanity's obsession with AI technology.
An American director and producer, who grew up on the bayous of Louisiana in a household that treasured books like gold. With a passion for telling important, emotionally resonant stories that capture the cultural zeitgeist, he has honed his skills over nearly a decade directing commercials, documentaries, and short films.
"This project excites me because it dramatizes in a timely way the current and future intersection of art and technology."
An American screenwriter, novelist, author, and filmmaker who grew up around the country as the son of an enlisted Marine. He has gained recognition for creating high-concept, genre-defying, and socially conscious stories that draw from broad cultural exposure. With a deep interest in what AI means for all artistic mediums, he is a storyteller who has navigated both the worlds of technology and art for many decades.
"I prioritized writing this story to entertain and educate audiences before the fiction becomes reality."
Deep fake technology and disinformation are here now, but still in their infancy. This story lures the audience into an entertaining journey that explores new technological challenges pulled from the headlines.
For example, perpetrators used a deep fake of Joe Biden’s voice attempting to suppress votes. Meta’s AI lab accidentally created machine-to-machine communication that was indecipherable to humans. During a test, robots hired humans to assist them in circumventing captchas. Generative AI created sophisticated IDs to evade financial fraud detection systems.
ARTIST I AM will be a gripping and thought-provoking sci-fi mystery thriller that explores the nature of creativity, identity, and the consequences of humanity's obsession with technology.
With its complex characters, chilling revelations, and timely themes, the story offers a haunting meditation on the double-edged nature of progress and the importance of empathy in an increasingly artificial world.
By blending genre thrills with existential horror, this story promises to be a conversation starter that lingers long after the credits roll.
The lead filmmakers, Daniel Sagona and Taz Lake, have both led on projects and worked on sets of all sizes. Their work has received recognition at large film festivals including the Oscar-qualifying Austin and HollyShorts.
The overarching themes are threefold:
-Creativity and the role of technology in art.
-Obsession with progress.
-Empathy in a world shaped by machines.
Artist I Am is a contained sci-fi mystery technothriller.
We will use a three camera setup and a soundstage to enable real time interaction between actors who seem miles apart geographically. Our goal is to film in Fall 2025. Our line producer has given us a schedule for nine days. That is aggressive for a feature, but our methods and the nature of the script should allow it in our estimation.
The bulk of the production will be at a sound stage in Atlanta, GA.
For 30+ years From the Heart Productions has helped independent filmmakers bring meaningful stories to life.
