AI-Hybrid Film Depicts Iranian Violence with Refugee Filmmaker

The film "77 Hours," created by director Vahid Mahdavi, uses artificial intelligence and live actors to portray events in Iran in January 2026. The movie follows an injured man trying to survive two nights in the aftermath of a massacre.

Described as one of the first ultra-realistic AI-hybrid political survival films, "77 Hours" utilizes new visual production methods to recreate an atmosphere of unrest, hospital raids, civilian panic, and urban violence. The focus remains on ordinary individuals caught in a national tragedy.

Director Mahdavi, an Iranian-born refugee filmmaker, calls the film an attempt to preserve memory through cinema. "Stories like this must not disappear into silence," Mahdavi stated. "This film is about survival, fear, sacrifice, and the human cost of state violence."

"77 Hours" will be presented at a private screening in London on July 10, 2026. The event will convene media representatives, filmmakers, and cultural figures. The producers aim to spark conversations about the 2026 events and the role of AI-assisted filmmaking in political storytelling.