MBC C&I’s AI Contents Lab is at Hong Kong FilMart with its most ambitious slate to date, anchored by “Raphael,” an 80-minute feature billed as one of the world’s first entirely AI-generated feature film, as the Seoul-based operation seeks to expand its international footprint and explore co-production opportunities.
The company, which operates under Korean broadcaster MBC C&I as a specialized generative AI content organization, is calling itself Korea’s leading AI storyteller hub, with a mandate spanning content planning, production, distribution and ongoing AI creation research. Its content pipeline spans drama series, feature films, short-form anthology series and AI-generated commercials.
“Raphael,” produced by Mateo AI Studio and AI Contents Lab, is directed by Yang Eekjun, Jung Juwon and Moon Shinwoo — the same creative team behind “Mateo,” which took the Grand Prize at the 2024 Korea Intl. AI Film Festival out of more than 2,000 entries. “Raphael” follows an elite war android modeled after the youthful image of an aging dictator, who, while commanding forces in a refugee district, encounters a Catholic priest and begins a journey toward faith and redemption. The project blends science fiction, religion and action, and is set to premiere in September.
The shingle’s drama slate is equally varied in scope. AI drama series ”The Fire Breakers” (6 X 30’), directed by Kim Won Jin and produced with Voyager1 Studio, centers on firefighters killed in the line of duty who are reborn to continue their rescue mission in a fantastical realm. “Whispers Animal Clinic,” co-directed by Lee Jung Hoon and Son Eun Bi for Megamonster, is a six-episode magical fantasy drama featuring K-pop act Wanna One’s Yoon Ji Sung alongside Jin Yea of Laboum and Unit. “Memory Proverb Chronicles,” a 12-episode, 15-minute series directed by KimOO, unfolds in a world where Korean proverbs function as physical laws in a post-human AI society 1,247 years after humanity’s extinction.
On the film side, “Alice in Joseon” — described as an AI art musical film running 60 minutes — is helmed by IUM and features vocalist Lara Benito. The project imagines a Joseon princess whose songs conjure spontaneous wonderlands, before a moonlit portal transports her to a mysterious palace of history’s greatest artists. “Art in the World 2: Judith,” directed by Lee Jin-ho, is a 13-minute AI drama set at the Uffizi Gallery’s Judith exhibition, where two famous paintings — by Gustav Klimt and Artemisia Gentileschi — come to life. “Sentiment,” directed by OH Hye Jin with ElevenLabs AI handling voice performance, is a 12-minute film set in a society where emotions are outlawed. The short-form series “Lua,” a 20-episode anthology at two minutes per episode directed by Lee Jae Hyo, is described as the world’s first AI-driven cinematic series exploring the relationship between humans and virtual beings.
The Lab’s output has already drawn international recognition. Beyond “Mateo’s” K-AIFF Grand Prize, “Witness” — directed by Yang Eekjun and distributed by AI Contents Lab — took the Grand Prize at the 2024 Busan Intl. AI Film Festival and earned $10,000 in prize money.
The Lab’s production methodology draws on a wide range of generative AI tools, including Midjourney, Stable Diffusion and Flux for image generation; Runway Gen3, Kling, Luma and VEO3 for video; and ElevenLabs, Suno AI and Udio for audio. On the concept and planning side, the organization uses LLM-based development alongside Katalist AI for storyboarding.
Beyond original content, AI Contents Lab has also ventured into commercial production, including AI-generated spots for LG Electronics and convenience chain CU, produced in partnership with HSAD. The unit has additionally collaborated with Korean streaming platform Wavve on “The Prompt: Next Drama,” an anthology series drawing on AI festival award winners.
