Neill Blomkamp Debuts Seedance-Made Sci-Fi Short

Neill Blomkamp, best known for District 9, has long used science fiction to test new production techniques, including through his visual-effects-focused Oats Studios. His new venture, Barley Studios, shifts that experimentation toward generative AI filmmaking. The project matters because a move from short tests to feature-length productions could reshape filmmaking economics while intensifying debate over likeness rights, copyright and the role of human artists.

Blomkamp released the 13-minute sci-fi horror short Nightborne on July 20, 2026, calling it his first “full test AI film.” Every frame was generated with ByteDance’s Seedance 2.0, while the production used concept art made by human artists and the licensed faces and voices of 32 real people. Blomkamp said he now wants to tackle a feature in the same format, although critics faulted the short for stiff performances, inconsistent imagery and familiar zombie-military tropes.