King

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  King by Ben Chimoy

Inspiration

Inspired by the still-image storytelling of La Jetée, "King" is an exploration of toxic nostalgia. It is not a gentle longing for a lost love, but the narcissistic prison a predator builds from the ruins of his own memory.

What it does

"King" reframes the haunted-love-story trope by revealing the protagonist not as a victim of memory, but as its perpetrator.

How we built it

I combined B&W stills for the past with motion footage for the present to create a fractured timeline. I used multiple models across Freepik, Elevenlabs and others, which made character consistency a technical challenge. Most of the work went into editing, re-prompting, and aligning visual style across sources.

Challenges we ran into

Character consistency across different AI models, blending stills with motion, and avoiding narrative clichés while keeping the tone sharp and minimal.

Accomplishments we’re proud of

A psychological horror piece built entirely on tension, rhythm, and image design—without monsters, jumpscares, or exposition.

What we learned

Ambiguity works when supported by tight visual rules. Mixing stills and motion requires strict control of style, framing, and texture.

What’s next for King

Festival submissions in Experimental categories, focusing on platforms open to AI workflows and unconventional storytelling.

Built With

• elevenlabs
• freepik
• kling
• veo