apophenia/a-pa-'fe-ne-a/noun:1. The tendency to perceive a connection or meaningful pattern between unrelated or random things2. Confirmation bias3. Paranoiadeepfake/'dep'fak/noun:A video of a person in which their face or body has been digitally altered so that they appear to be someone else
Chris Marrs Piliero's narrative feature film debut, Appofeniacs, will have its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest soon. The first teaser has been sent out today. Check it out, down below.
Two names that immediately stick out are Sean Gunn and Jermaine Fowler. Gunn is, of course, from the Family of Gunn and a bona fide genre talent. Fowler continues to pop up in the most interesting places along the genre spectrum, adding depth to their docket.
We caught wind of this one after its debut at FrightFest not too long ago. Some online reactions from folks we know were positively buzzing about it. Keep an eye out for it, Fantastic Fest attendees.
APPOFENIACS, marks the feature debut of Chris Marrs Piliero, best known for his bold, stylized music video work and starring Sean Gunn, Jermaine Fowler, Aaron Holliday, Michael Abbott Jr, Simran Jehani, Amogh Kapoor, Will Brandt, Paige Searcy, and Harley Bronwyn. In APPOFENIACS, follow a group of individuals descends into blood-soaked paranoia as AI deepfakes blurs the line between truth and illusion.
Director's Statement
The first time I saw a deepfake in 2018 I had two immediate thoughts: This is verycool… and this is going to be used nefariously. I knew I wanted to make a film centered around this technology, but it wasn’t until 2022 that the idea for APPOFENIACS fully took hold, fueled by the unsettling reality of what was just around the corner. While many stories explore AI’s role in supercomputers and robotics, I wanted to take a different approach: a more grounded (yet cranked to 11) look at how deepfakes can and will wreak havoc in everyday life. Online interactions often feel disconnected from reality, but this technology that we all have in the palm of our hands will be weaponized, both intentionally and unintentionally, in ways we’re only beginning to grasp.APPOFENIACS carves a unique identity for itself as an ensemble-driven horror film with multiple intersecting storylines, where death isn’t just at the hands of active killers but also the chaotic fallout of each character’s choices. While grounded in realistic storylines, the film embraces heightened, over-the-top elements that lead to some entertainingly bonkers moments.I set out to craft a film that blends horror, a bit of dark humor, and amusinglyopinionated characters. The narratives that unfold are just as relatable to teens as they are to adults — because no one is immune to the consequences of this technology.We’re all people. And people are easy to manipulate.