Avinoam Amizan
Avinoam Amizan is an independent filmmaker, writer, and digital media creator based in Israel. He holds an M.A. in Cinema Studies and has pursued doctoral research in film theory and screen culture. Amizan is the author of ''Air and Screen'', an extensive work examining the intersection between aviation, spatial perception, and visual media.
9/16/20263 min read
"HAIFA-ITALIA: A Cinematic Journey Through AI" – An Interview with
Director Avinoam Amizan
Can you explain to the audience your career?
I am an author, researcher, and independent filmmaker operating under the production label AVIRA, based in Haifa, Israel. With a Master's degree in geography and film culture, I have always been fascinated by the intersection of physical space, cartography, and visual storytelling. My career has spanned writing research books, such as "Air and Screen," to developing conceptual geographic art. Recently, I fully embraced the possibilities of generative AI to independently produce animated films and visual narratives.
How many years have you been making movies?
While my deep academic and theoretical involvement with cinema spans many years, my transition into active, independent filmmaking using advanced digital and AI tools has accelerated profoundly over the last few years. This new technology finally allowed me to bring the vast visual worlds in my head directly to the screen.
Why did you start making movies?
I started making movies because I wanted to merge my deep love for geographic landscapes, art history, and personal storytelling. I have always analyzed cinematic history, and I reached a point where writing about it wasn't enough; I needed to visually construct my own narratives, using modern tools to overcome traditional budgetary barriers.
Tell us a little about your project. What will the audience be able to see in your film?
My project, "HAIFA-ITALIA," is a feature-length AI-animated film. The audience will experience a visually rich, poetic, and romantic voyage across stunning Mediterranean locations. It follows our two main characters, Ori and Tami, blending the beauty of local geography with a deeply personal cinematic aesthetic.
Why did you do this project?
I wanted to explore the Mediterranean connection between my hometown, Haifa, Cyprus, Greece and Italy, using the journey of Ori and Tami to reflect on romance, cinematic history, and space. It was a challenge to see if I could independently produce a feature-length cinematic vision using generative AI while maintaining emotional and visual consistency.
One of the problems some directors encounter is directing actors and dealing with some actors, especially in the amateur world. How do you see this topic? What kind of work do you do with them?
As a filmmaker utilizing AI, "directing actors" takes on a revolutionary meaning. I don't work with human actors on a physical set; my cast—Ori and Tami—are generative creations. My directorial work involves writing incredibly precise, emotionally resonant prompts, maintaining strict character consistency models across hundreds of generated shots, and working with advanced AI voice tools like ElevenLabs to give them a distinct soul, tone, and cinematic presence.
In your project what % have you allocated to. I don't just mean money but time as well. Of 100% of the time/money, what % did you dedicate to each department?
Because my workflow relies on AI, the traditional percentages shift dramatically towards conceptualization and post-production:
Direction (Prompting, Conceptualization, Storyboarding): 30%
Art direction/locations (Generative World-building): 30%
Postproduction (Editing, stitching, and refining in DaVinci/Premiere): 25%
Sound (AI music via Suno, Sound Design): 10%
Work with actors (Voice generation & visual character consistency): 5%
Photography: (Merged into Art Direction for AI)
If you could go back, what would you change about this project? (1 thing only)
I would have established the strict visual seeds and character consistency formulas for Ori and Tami much earlier in the pre-production phase, which would have saved a significant amount of generative trial-and-error time.
What are you happiest about this project?
I am incredibly proud of the fact that I could independently realize a vast, feature-length cinematic vision from my home studio. Achieving a rich, poetic realism and bringing Ori and Tami to life without a traditional Hollywood budget feels like a true artistic triumph.
Make a wish to the movie gods. What do you ask?
I wish for the continued democratization of storytelling—that technology continues to empower independent dreamers, allowing creators to paint their visions on the screen purely based on the strength of their imagination, regardless of conventional financial constraints.
What movie would you have liked to direct?
Given my deep research into the symbiotic history of aviation and cinema, I would have loved to direct a visionary classic like "2001: A Space Odyssey", or a visually groundbreaking film like "Blade Runner."
What kind of cinema do you like? Genre, directors, actors?
I am deeply inspired by 1970s New Hollywood cinema, poetic realism, classic German mountain films, and seminal science-fiction works. I appreciate cinema that utilizes vast geographic landscapes and profound visual world-building to tell human stories.
Imagine that all the movies are going to be lost. If you could save 3 movies, what would they be?
1. "2001: A Space Odyssey"
2. "Blade Runner"
3. "Metropolis"
If you have more projects underway, can you give us a bit of information?
Yes, I am actively developing an animated story series and music videos centered on an anthropomorphic drone character named Drony. Projects like "Drony and the Myth of Flight" intertwine my historical research from my book "Air and Screen" into an engaging, visual exploration of aviation and humanity.