Interview: Leo Crane - From Gatekeepers to Storytellers, Building an Inclusive Creative Future with AI
At the crossroads of art, education, and emerging technology, Leo Crane is helping redefine who gets to tell stories—and how
When I first encountered AIFA (Artificial Intelligence Film Academy), what struck me wasn’t the flashy tech or AI-generated visuals—it was the intention behind it all.
Founded by artists and educators Leo Crane and Clare Maguire, AIFA is more than an awards platform. It’s a mission to empower unheard voices through storytelling, learning, and digital creativity. In a time when AI can feel overwhelming, impersonal, even threatening to the arts, Leo’s approach is refreshingly grounded: always start with the human.
In this conversation, Leo shares how AIFA is opening doors for young creators, why deep storytelling still matters in an algorithmic age, and what the next wave of creative AI might look like if we get it right, together. You can meet AIFA, Leo, and Clare in Lisbon next week, as we will be attending the NFC Conference for the AIFA Awards 2025.
Enjoy and remember the 2024 Awarded and Finalists.
Leo Crane and Clare Maguire
AIFA blends film, AI, and education—what sparked the creation of this unique intersection, and why now?
At the heart of AIFA is a belief in education as a driver of democratisation. Over time, we explored various approaches to film and creative technology—but the most transformative propositions are those rooted in people and places often left out of the conversation: schools and libraries in rural areas, communities without access to arts infrastructure, or countries where the cost of entry into film is simply too high. These aren’t necessarily people who set out to become filmmakers, but they have something to say. And when people have the chance to tell their own stories, connections form. From there, anything is possible.
Clare and I bring a unique combination of experience: Clare as an award-winning creative tech leader with incredible success at building online communities, and I am an experienced educator in creativity and tech. We are rooted in our own careers as artists who discovered tech as a way to break through the closed gates of industry, and then we discovered each other. Now we’re building a high-quality, learning-rich programme grounded in this real-world experience.
The AIFA Awards bring global visibility to this mission. They showcase the potential of AI and the power of creative storytelling at a time when the world really needs diverse voices speaking up.
How does AIFA ensure its work remains human-centric and artistically meaningful in a world saturated with AI-generated content?
We always start with the human. Who are we building for? What problem can we help them solve? AI is one tool, but there are others. Sometimes, the best response is to put the tech aside and rediscover the wisdom in traditional methods. But when AI is the right fit, it becomes transformative.
For example, we’re developing a programme to help cultural institutions engage 16 to 24-year-olds, a demographic they generally find hard to reach. The tech facilitates deeper conversations about the stories behind objects, allowing young people to retell those stories from their own perspective and share these repurposed narratives with their peers. AI helps make this cultural heritage relevant rather than a relic of history.
The same philosophy shapes the AIFA Awards, where great storytelling is key. We receive many submissions showcasing incredible technical skill, but when an instinct for story is lacking, when the pace and emotional arc are flattened by over-reliance on what the generator spits out, it rarely makes an impact. What we’re looking for is emotional depth, imagination, and a strong artistic voice, work that means something and stays with you.
What role do generative AI play in democratizing storytelling and access to filmmaking tools?
AI can remove some of the biggest obstacles to filmmaking, including access to equipment, teams of skilled people and funding. At the same time, it can open the door to more personal, locally rooted narratives.
Hussein Dembel Sow, a filmmaker from Senegal and a finalist for the AIFA Awards 2025, says: “The core issue is the incredibly high barrier to entry in traditional filmmaking. The costs associated with equipment, crews, locations, and post-production are simply prohibitive for most aspiring Senegalese filmmakers. This creates a massive problem of exclusion.” As he proves with his ambitious and moving film Thiaroye 44, AI offers a powerful alternative.
This kind of shift is exactly what we want to highlight through the AIFA Awards. In 2024, the Best Film award went to Denny the Shark, created by Melody Bossan and Dina Lockamy (together known as Ethereal Moon). Both artists had struggled to access the film industry until they discovered AI. As Bossan told us, “My faded dream of becoming a filmmaker has been brought back to life… Even though we never met in person, we’re now able to create these amazing stories together.”
From your experience, how is the next generation of creatives adapting to (or pushing back against) AI in visual media?
There’s a tension we see all the time: younger creatives are fluent in AI-driven content, but often trapped in a cycle of fast, superficial scrolling. Our work challenges that and offers a different path, one of deeper engagement, critical thinking and creative authorship.
We want to ask bigger questions with and through AI: What does identity look like in an online world? What does it mean to remake history through your own lens? How can we decentralise the creative industries to include and represent global diversity?
The most exciting young artists aren’t rejecting AI, but neither are they blindly accepting it. They’re interrogating it, bending it to their needs, and building communities around it. Through our programmes and awards, we’re nurturing this approach.
At the same time, we recognise the need to protect and champion creative practices that challenge tech. We need artists and artisans to keep traditional skills alive, and, at the same time, this can encourage us to pause and reflect on the speed at which emerging technology is evolving. We need this challenge to fight for a positive future for AI, to interrogate its potential and steer it in the right direction. Calling out exploitation and staying alive to the dangers of AI is an essential part of this.
Looking ahead, what’s one strategic partnership or innovation you believe will reshape the creative AI space in the next 12 months?
Speaking from our own standpoint, we are excited to be partnering with NOPRBLM. We’re exploring how emerging technologies, including AI, can support not just the creation of work but the ecosystems around the work, from building immersive experiences to rethinking fan engagement and creating new revenue models. The more we live in an online, 24/7 world, the more important it is to create infrastructures of care and connection. In a rapidly evolving space, partnerships like this are vital to ensure that innovation leads to inclusion and that the future of creative tech is equitable, especially for the artist.
More broadly, we believe the next twelve months will see a shift from spectacle to substance. The novelty of AI is wearing off; now it’s about impact. Strategic partnerships that centre education, cultural heritage, and community-led creativity will shape what comes next - and we’re proud to be helping lead that movement.
AIFA Awards 2025 jury
Leo Crane reminds us that technology, no matter how advanced, is only as powerful as the values that guide its use. Through AIFA’s artist-centered, education-driven approach, he’s showing how AI can be a bridge—not a barrier—to creativity, community, and cultural connection. As the dust of early AI hype settles, it’s voices like Leo’s that will help shape a more inclusive and meaningful future for digital storytelling—one story at a time.