A Ukrainian filmmaker created an AI film about Christmas and received recognition at an international competition

Mykhailo Penievsky, the creator of the YouTube channel Yellow Medusa, used artificial intelligence (AI) to produce a short film titled "Phantom Christmas" — depicting Christmas during the war in Ukraine.

This short film secured the third place in the Curiouse Refuge and Epidemic Sound AI Holiday Film Contest among films created using AI. The award came as a surprise to Mikhail, and now he is considering ways to showcase it to a wider audience. How the film was created and what inspired the work - Mykhailo Penievskyi shared with Suspilne.

How did you choose the theme for the film, and how much time did it take to create it?

I had wanted to tell a story close to Ukrainians for about a year. A true and life-related story to give viewers some hope and relief, even if only temporary. However, all my ideas seemed to lack something, and I kept postponing them for better times. In the past year, I've been actively exploring and using artificial intelligence for creating audiovisual content, which has been very interesting for me.

So when I heard about the contest for Christmas films created using artificial intelligence, I immediately felt that this was what I unconsciously sought. Christmas, for me, is about miracles and hope. I decided to use cutting-edge technology to tell a Ukrainian Christmas story.

The idea of a lonely volunteer meeting a ghost in her apartment came to me. At that time, I didn't know about their relationship or who they were to each other, but I understood that it was something important for me. Something worth exploring. Eventually, this idea turned into the script for "Ghost of Christmas." Having the script, I created the film quite quickly—approximately within a week.

What tools did you use in your work?

I created the film using a variety of tools based on neural networks, including Midjourney (2D image generation), Runway Gen 2 (2D image animation), ElevenLabs (AI voice acting), D-ID (facial animation and lip sync for the main character), as well as some DALL·E 3 and PixVerse. For some scenes, I took real photos with my phone, which I then processed and animated using artificial intelligence programs. For example, the scenes with trench candles are based on photos from the kitchen where my wife Elvira and I make trench candles.

Also, the scenes of the main character, Mother, from behind are processed images of my wife in a red sweater; the scenes with the cat are processed images of our cat, all done with the help of artificial intelligence. This combined process helped to more accurately embody the concept and better tell the story.

What films, music, or literary works inspired you?

I was inspired by the works of Ukrainian artist Olga Wilson, who paints the souls of those who perished in the war; the film "A Ghost Story" from 2017; Charles Dickens's novella "A Christmas Carol"; and the famous photograph from the General Staff of last year, where soldiers celebrate Christmas in a shelter around a long table (this photo inspired the scene in the film where Mother meets people in the shelter)

But most of all, my wife inspired me. She actively helps the Armed Forces by making trench candles and caring for the wounded in the hospital. She is one of those people who deserve more rest but doesn't allow herself that luxury because of the war. She became the prototype for the main character.