Producer Andrea Iervolino Launches AI Film “The Sweet Idleness,” Directed by Virtual “FellinAI”
Italian film producer Andrea Iervolino, known for his work on Michael Mann’s “Ferrari,” is establishing a new AI-focused production label. As its first project, he has announced “The Sweet Idleness,” a film he claims is the first to be directed by a virtual AI director.
According to a press release, the movie is “designed to honor the poetic and dreamlike style of classic European cinema” and will be helmed by an AI agent named “FellinAI.”
The film’s plot is set in a future where only one percent of humanity is still employed, making work a symbolic ritual, while the rest of the population enjoys a life of leisure provided by machines. The story unfolds in a world of “cathedral-factories, mechanical clowns, and surreal processions,” where these “last workers” become symbols of a humanity holding out against the demands of labor.
Iervolino’s announcement comes while he is involved in financial legal disputes following a recent split from his business partner, Monika Bacardi. It also coincides with controversy stirred by AI actress Tilly Norwood, which has drawn criticism from the acting community and prompted a response from the union SAG-AFTRA.
In the statement, Iervolino declared that this project redefines traditional filmmaking roles. He described his own new position as “Human-on-the-Loop,” a supervisor who guides and ensures the creative consistency of the AI’s process.
Another filmmaker, Andrea Biglione, will serve as the “Human-in-the-Loop,” acting as a developer and a bridge between the AI’s algorithmic suggestions and human artistic sensibility.
The cast will be sourced from Actor+, an internal agency within Iervolino’s company that works with real performers. These actors will provide their likeness, physicality, and personality to create new digital characters.
These digital actors, a fusion of human performance and generative technology, are designed to have a life beyond the movie. They will maintain a presence on social media, sharing opinions and interacting with the public—a concept the company calls “Digital Human’s Existency.”
In a full statement on the project, Iervolino said, “With ‘The Sweet Idleness’ we celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in the history of cinema.” He explained that the goal is to merge human sensitivity with AI’s creative power to tell unprecedented stories. He clarified that this AI-driven approach is not meant to replace traditional filmmaking, but rather to offer an alternative method of creation.