Strings

Strings is a 74-minute English-language feature written and directed by Hooroo Jackson, who has said he made it alone, with no other credits, on a budget under $1,000. Its world premiere was on YouTube on 28 February 2026, and the film was released there in full. Jackson and his site present it as the first completely AI photoreal live-action passing feature film, and as the first film released with a randomized ending. A review at Reviewron dates the release to March 2026 and gives it three stars out of five.

Jackson describes the work as end-to-end generative, with no motion capture or performance capture. In his own essay he says he used the video generator Kling, which runs on a credit system, and compares its cost per minute of footage with 35mm film stock. He describes building each scene from many takes and cutting around any shot where a performance or line delivery turns uncanny, relying heavily on close-ups of faces. The lead, Nellie Beaufort, is a generated performer he says he cast like a traditional production, and the cast is billed as Hooroo Jackson's Machine Acting Repertory Company. The film also has a generated original soundtrack, which Jackson published the day before the premiere.

The film took several turns in development. In January 2026 Jackson posted that he had tested turning Strings into a stop-motion animation, then decided to return to live action after what he called intense hate for his animated work, and he began posting live-action tests and clips. He planned an early February release before settling on 28 February.

Jackson calls himself the architect of what he names the New Machine Cinema, and describes Strings as his sixth feature, after Window Seat (2023), DreadClub: Vampire's Verdict (2024), A Very Long Carriage Ride (2025) and My Boyfriend Is a Superhero!? (2025). His site lists Strings as an Official Selection of the 2026 Red Rocks AI Film Festival.

Reception came mostly from small outlets. The Reviewron critic calls it a fascinating but imperfect glimpse of cinema's future: the faces look convincingly real, but one can still tell the real from the artificial and the performances do not form a lasting emotional connection. Film Threat, Just For Movie Freaks, ScreenCritix, Reel Reviews and others are quoted on Jackson's site and YouTube description as responding more warmly. Jackson argues in his essay that the visible seams of the film are part of its significance as an early proof of the form.