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Baker City Today
By the People, for the People
AI Cinema Landmark: 'Strings' Makes World Premiere
The first completely AI photoreal live-action passing feature film + the first film in history with a randomized ending
Published on Mar. 2, 2026
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Pioneering filmmaker and theorist Hooroo Jackson premieres Strings on February 28, 2026 — the first fully AI photoreal live-action feature to cross the 'passing threshold' (generated performances indistinguishable from real human actors) and the first film ever released with a randomized ending. Set in the Antebellum South, Strings follows four sisters of the Beaufort family and the deepening bond between imaginative youngest daughter Nellie Beaufort and gifted Black master puppeteer Daniel Brock.
Why it matters
Strings marks two decisive breakthroughs in AI cinema: live-action photoreal imagery that fully passes at feature length, and the first randomized ending in cinema history. This film is part of a larger movement pioneered by Jackson that is redefining the economics and creative possibilities of filmmaking through AI technology.
The details
Strings is Jackson's sixth landmark feature release in two and a half years, each marking different firsts-in-category in AI cinema history. The collapse of production budgets and tools opens what Jackson calls 'post-scarcity cinema', with his previous films including the first fully AI feature film, first fully AI animated feature, and first choose-your-protagonist feature. Strings is now streaming on YouTube and hooroojackson.com, with viewers receiving a randomly determined happy or tragic ending.
- Strings premiered on February 28, 2026.
- Jackson has released six landmark AI films in the past two and a half years.
The players
Hooroo Jackson
A pioneering filmmaker and theorist who has been at the forefront of the emerging AI cinema movement, redefining the economics and creative possibilities of filmmaking.
Nellie Beaufort
The imaginative youngest daughter of the Beaufort family, who forms a deepening bond with a gifted Black master puppeteer named Daniel Brock in the film Strings.
Daniel Brock
A gifted Black master puppeteer who collaborates with Nellie Beaufort in the film Strings, with their relationship becoming the fault line that cracks the world around them.
What they’re saying
“The collapse of production budgets and tools opens what Jackson calls 'post-scarcity cinema', verbalized in his New Machine Cinema doctrine.”
— Hooroo Jackson, Filmmaker and theorist (bakercityherald.com)
What’s next
Strings is now streaming on YouTube and hooroojackson.com, with viewers receiving a randomly determined happy or tragic ending.
The takeaway
Strings represents a landmark achievement in AI-powered filmmaking, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in cinema through the use of advanced technologies. This film is part of a larger movement that is redefining the economics and creative potential of the medium, opening up new possibilities for storytelling and artistic expression.
