‘Hell Grind’ Unveils First Fully AI-Generated Fantasy Trailer

A feature-length fantasy epic created entirely using artificial intelligence tools has unveiled its first trailer following an industry screening in Cannes, with filmmakers behind Hell Grind positioning the project as a major technical milestone for AI-driven cinema.

Directed by Kazakh filmmaker Aitore Zholdaskali and co-written with acclaimed director Adilkhan Yerzhanov, Hell Grind was produced entirely using the Higgsfield AI platform. According to the production team, it is the first feature film generated end-to-end through the company’s proprietary AI filmmaking systems.

The action-fantasy follows four street thieves named Roco, Lulu, Jax and Rein whose failed robbery unleashes supernatural consequences after an ancient artefact opens a portal to the underworld. The story subsequently moves through locations including a Tibetan temple and feudal Japan as the group attempts to rescue Lulu while Roco begins undergoing disturbing changes of his own.

The trailer debuted publicly after a private industry showcase held in Cannes on 18 May. Higgsfield described the project as “AI native”, meaning every stage of production was completed within the platform’s AI infrastructure rather than combining conventional filmmaking with generative tools.

Zholdaskali, whose previous credits include Sheker, Shulamah and the Rotterdam-selected feature Sicko, compared the rise of AI filmmaking to the digital disruption that transformed the music industry. Speaking about the project, the director reflected on the difficulty many emerging filmmakers face when attempting to secure funding through traditional systems.

The film was created by a team of 15 directors, cinematographers and editors working across both conventional production backgrounds and Higgsfield’s earlier AI projects Arena Zero and Zephyr. Producers claim the first 25-minute section alone required more than 16,000 individual video generations to create just 253 final shots.

Higgsfield states that the completed 95-minute feature was produced for under $500,000, with approximately $400,000 attributed to compute costs during a 14-day generation period. The production utilised Dreamina-Seedance 2.0 alongside Higgsfield’s proprietary AI models, Soul Cinema and Soul Cast.

Alex Mashrabov, co-founder and chief executive of Higgsfield, described Hell Grind as evidence that large-scale AI filmmaking can now sustain character continuity and coherent storytelling across feature-length runtimes. He argued that comparable productions using traditional methods would typically require studio budgets closer to $50 million.

The release arrives amid wider industry debate surrounding the growing role of generative AI within film production. Higgsfield has increasingly expanded into long-form storytelling, with several shorts produced through the platform recently screening at AI-focused festivals in Cannes, Munich, Seoul and across Europe.

No release date for Hell Grind has yet been announced.

Hell Grind trailer