William, or The Fragile Harmony Of Latent Spaces

Luc Leclerc's award-winning first short movie

Created in just two weeks by a single person - including translation into five languages and a full suite of promotional assets - William is an experimental short film directed through a process inspired by the Surrealists’ “écriture automatique.” Sequences were generated at the speed of thought, guided by intuition rather than pre-designed storyboards, resulting in a film that feels discovered rather than constructed.


The film follows a man who, guided by a caring therapist, attempts to untangle the chaos of his subconscious. Haunted by bizarre dreams and disconnected perceptions, he struggles to understand himself - and the world speaking to him from outside his mind. Through therapy, he journeys deeper into fragmented memories and emergent symbols, confronting a landscape where logic dissolves and meaning flickers in and out of existence.

Using AI-generated imagery as a window into unstable inner states, William blurs the boundaries between emotional truth and computational hallucination. Scenes form, dissolve, and regenerate like dreams recalled too late, revealing a fragile harmony between imagination, identity, and the invisible forces shaping thought.

Entirely produced in Montréal, the film leverages a fast, improvisational workflow that embraces uncertainty as a creative catalyst. This approach allowed characters and environments to evolve organically, echoing the protagonist’s shifting psychological terrain.


Watch on YouTube

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS


LuminaFlicks Intl Short Film Fest (Albania)
Award Winner - Best Short Fiction

Dialog Film Festival (Germany)
Award Winner - Best Experimental Short Film

New Jersey Film Awards (USA)
Award Winner - Short Film (Experimental)

Reply AI Film Festival (Biennale di Venezia 2024, Italy)
Official Selection

Belgrade International Film Festival (Serbia)
Official Selection

BAIFF - Burano Artificial Intelligence Film Festival (Italy)
Official Selection

CineTech Future Fest (Poland)
Official Selection

Strasbourg International Film Festival (France)
Official Selection

AI Short Film Festival *LARISSA LUMINA* (Greece)
Official Selection

Neu Wave AI Film Festival (USA)
Semi-Finalist

Art Giraffe International Film Festival (France)
Semi-Finalist

Pageant Film Festival (India)
Finalist

ORION IFF International Film Festival (Germany)
Finalist

AI Film Awards Cannes 2026 (France)
Nominee

Seoul International AI Film Festival (South Korea)
Nominee

Next Project

Fake World

Bringing Genetic Error's classic mascot to life

Want to know more?







© 2025 Above The Void   |   All Rights Reserved