If you had the chance to talk to a loved one who died, would you take it? ETERNAL YOU delves into the world of startups using AI to create avatars of the deceased. A film about what might become one of the greatest human experiments of our time.

STORY 

ETERNAL YOU examines the story of people who live on as digital replicants in the pockets of their loved ones. With the help of artificial intelligence and Big Data, a dream comes true that is as old as mankind itself: eternal life. It’s probably the biggest business idea of the digital age.

Following tech start-ups which use a wealth of data to develop “digital doppelgangers,” which promise to immortalize people on earth. The film raises a number of questions, such as: Can a digital entity compensate for the loss of a loved one? How will human memory be affected? And do we not have the right to forget?

PRESS

“Fascinating…A frank exploration of a seriously hot topic” - Screen International

★★★★ “Absorbing” - Eye for Film

 “A broader, more analytical look at the burgeoning market for “afterlife technology” The New York Times

“Eternal You has a fascinating story to explore, but what makes it even more impressive is the complex way in which it approaches this challenging material.” - Disappointment Media

“A sprawling portrait of the emerging business that is digital afterlife technology” - Rolling Stone

“Films such as this become even more vital.” - The Playlist

“Urgent & Timely”  - Film Verdict

“A necessary warning klaxon for our culture’s increasing inability to accept death, just as it finds a techno-economic structure happy to oblige it.” - Paste Magazine

FILMMAKERS BIO

Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck are German writers and directors. Their debut film `The Cleaners‘ about the shadow industry of digital censorship celebrated its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018 and has since been screened at more than 70 international film festivals, in cinemas and on TV worldwide. It was nominated for an Emmy and the German Television Award and has received numerous international prizes, including the Prix Europa for the Best European TV documentary film 2018 and the Grimme Audience Award 2019. Their TED talk on freedom of expression on the internet reached an audience of millions. Their essay 'The Digital Soul - Becoming immortal in the era of Artificial Intelligence' was published in Germany, Korea and Italy among others. Under the label "Laokoon" Block, Riesewieck and social designer Cosima Terrasse develop innovative theatre and crossmedia projects. Their artistic data experiment "Made to Measure" which premiered at the international media art festival Ars Electronica in Linz was nominated for several different international prizes and won the renowned "Information is beautiful"-award 2022. Their theater plays have been shown at Burgtheater in Vienna, Muenchner Kammerspiele and other renowned theatres in Europe.

CREDITS

Directors and Screenwriters: Hans Block, Moritz Riesewieck

Producers: Christian Beetz, Georg Tschurtschenthaler

Executive Producers: Kathrin Isberner, Anna Godas, Oli Harbottle, Julie Goldman, Chris Clements, Jenny Raskin, Kelsey Koenig

COMPLETED

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Sundance Film Festival 2024 - World Cinema Documentary Competition

26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival 2024

CPH:DOX 2024

Hot Docs 2024

San Francisco International Film Festival 2024